See You On the Other Side
by Damned Lolita
Summary: Now in Johto, the question on everyone's minds is if they can get through this without killing each other. The final chapter!
1. A shot to the head helps

(This is, in fact, that death-falling-into-pokemon-world story I promised. Trying not to make it Mary-Sueish, I hope. Okay, I don't own pokemon!)

My name is Lucida Saxon, better known as Lucy. I am a freak, geek, nerd, and a romantic. I'm fifteen. I still play pokemon. And in the rougher parts of New Jersey, standing out like that is NOT a good idea.

But I can't help it. They've been there for me when my parents got taken away by the police; they were there when the judge put me in an abusive orphanage. They stuck by me.

And for that, I owe them. My mom and dad were junkies; they wanted nothing to do with me, except to have me get their heroin needles. The TV in our house is shit, but I watch pokemon anyway.

I hated Ash Ketchum for getting to go on a pokemon journey. What wouldn't I give to have that opportunity. I settled down to watch another episode with him in it. My beloved Harley. I was _that _pathetic. I had a crush on a TV character.

But he was oh so real, so different from the other men in my life. My abusive foster dad, my junkie parents, my foster siblings, and Mark Washburn, who hated my fucking guts.

And now I had to go face him at school. I looked in the mirror. Black hair was mussed up, with rainbow strands caught amongst the tangles. "Hairy Tangela." I muttered.

Brushing it quickly, I threw on my trenchcoat, shrugged on a pair of old converse, and I was off. My shirt and pants were from sleep still; fuzzy little fanged spiders adorned by shirt; red bats were on my pants.

I raced to the bus stop, and clambered on just in time. I sat in the back, and counted my things. Homework? Beer-stained, but check. DS? Check. Gameboy? Check. Laptop? Check. Ipod? Check. Sketchbook? Check? I recited this mental list, then sat down, turned on my DS, and my iPod. I put on 'Vampires will Never hurt You', and began to play.

My newest Umbreon, Billie Joe, was about to participate in a Super Contest. On the way to school, we won the Ultra rank. I was thrilled. The bus doors whooshed open, and I stepped out. The kids milled around each other.

In this school, you were faux-ghetto, or you were dead. Racist, ignorant, bastards, the lot of them. And Mark Washburn led this pathetic circus. "Heeeey, Lucy-Goosey, what's up?" He drawled. I shut my DS. "Nothing, Mark. Go away."

He frowned. "Aw, you're so mean! All I want is a bit of attention, Lucy-Goosey..." I clipped him with my fist.

"Fuck. Off." I growled, then started off to class. I heard him yelling I was gonna die, but I shrugged it off. Turning on my DS, I whispered to Billie Joe, "Now, where were we?" I played throughout Math, Science, and History, only paying attention in Art and Literature.

School didn't mean much; the teachers would pass you just to get you out of your class. So I went to lunch. Eating a small salad, I worked on my gym training in Crystal. Lunch being over, I headed to Gym, and immediately cut school.

Sitting outside, I didn't hear Mark come up behind me. But I felt the cold steel of his gun, all right. His last words to me were, "Die, bitch." As my head snapped forward, I thought one last thing; "_Oh, my god, how cliché."_

_-Unknown POV- _I was sitting down, right outside of Slateport, with Cacturne and Banette at my side. I was just enjoying the sun, and the thought of more contests tonight, when I heard a thrashing noise in the tree above me. I looked up.

"Cacturne, go up and check it out!" He nodded, and clambered up the tree. I gripped Octillery's pokeball, not knowing what Cacturne would bring down. He brought down a girl.

She appeared to be passed out, and sick. She opened her eyes. "Oh, don't tell me I'm in the hospita..." She looked at me. "Hi. I'm Harley. Want a cookie?"

–_Lucy's POV- _

Oh my god, this is insane. I have four options:

One, I am drunk. Two, I am high. Three, this all very real, and I should be running away screaming. Four... goddamn,_ yeah_, I want a cookie.


	2. Strange World! Companions for life!

(Ah, here you are! I don't own pokemon, but I own one of those giant tubs of cookie dough. Review, and I will make cookies. This is gonna be fun to write next chapter... Hiromi's gonna kill _somebody... _Oh, and if anyone's read _I Won't See You Tonight, _you'll know these names. If you haven't, go read it; this will make more sense.

He was still holding them out. I grabbed one. "Yeah, I love cookies." He sat down, and looked apprasingly at my hair, (mussed), my clothes, (wrinkled), and my eyes (bloodshot). "So, who are you? And why were you in the tree?" I blinked. "My name's Lucida Saxon. Call me Lucy. And as for the tree, I really don't fucking know. I don't think I'm supposed to be here..."

Harley shrugs. "So where are you supposed to be?" I think. "Well, in New Jersey... but I got shot in the head, so I don't think I wanna go back there." He gasped. "What!?" I stand up. "I guess I can tell you. Just don't think I'm crazy."

Stunned, he gestured to Cacturne and Banette to get up. I began to walk, in the direction I hoped to be Slateport, and began to tell the story. "Okay, so... I come from a place called New Jersey. It's in another world, really. And in my world..." I hesitate to say it.

"Well, you're Harley. You're a character in a TV show. And pokemon's just a game." I waited, anxious to hear what he'd say. Harley shrugs. "Well, it must have been more than a game to you if you came here, right?" I'm stunned.

"You're taking this remarkably well." I observed dryly. He nodded. "This is my world. And that world is—was yours." I blink.

"You played this game, I assume?" I nod. "I know everything about it—and you." He gaped. "You live in this town, Slateport. You have five pokemon; Ariados, Octillery, Wigglytuff, Banette, and Cacturne. You've finished in two Grand Festivals; Kanto and Hoenn." He gapes still.

"Yeah... anyway, if you played the game, shouldn't your pokemon be here?" I gasp. "Yeah!" I raced towards Slateport. "Right. So, no waiting for me!?" Harley mutters. I didn't hear him.

I was already in Slateport. It was so different from the game. People were walking around, talking to one another hurriedly. I raced to the pokemon center. I ran right to the PC, ignoring everyone's stares. Fuck them, I had pokemon to get.

"Lanette's PC." I clicked on it hurriedly. "WITHDRAW POKEMON." I scroll through. "Oh my fucking god." They're all here. Azrael, Ichigo, Jet, Kalisha... I gape. All my Sinnoh pokemon are here too?! WTF? I sighed, and picked six.

Ichigo. She took me three years to catch; I have to get her back for that. I think. "Hmm..." I picked my Raichu, Shuka-Rin, my shiny Umbreon, Dresden, my Mew,

(I didn't intend to fight with Vita, just to hug the fuzzy little fucker), Azrael, my Glaceon, my Dragonair, Haushinka, and Zero, my Arcanine.

I ran out of the pokemon center. Harley was waiting outside. "So?" Fingers trembling, I opened Ichigo's pokeball. "So this." A red dragonlike bird... thing was floating in midair. "Ichigo?" I whispered. She looked at me. "Mommy!" She tackled me. I collapsed.

"Jeez, you're heavy." She was nuzzling me. "Mommy, mommy, I can feel you! Why are you here, mommy?" I sighed.

"I'll explain in a minute, babe." I released the others. I was about to release Vita when Harley gripped my hand.

"Don't. And call back Ichigo; Legendaries aren't supposed to exist with Trainers here." I nodded, still dizzy from meeting Ichigo. I nodded to her. "Sorry babe, I'll be quick." I raced out of Slateport. I could see Cycling Road. Bikers milled around it, chatting to one another, oblivious to my prescence.

"Oh, god." I hid behind a tree. "Harley!" I hissed. He sweatdropped. "You look like a spy." I rolled my eyes. "Nevermind that!"

I opened everyone's pokeballs again. Azrael materialized sitting primly. Ichigo did a flip when she saw me. Haushinka, upon release, curled around my neck. Zero sat at attention when he was called. Dresden barked happily. Shuka-Rin nuzzled me, purring, "Rai-rai!" And then Vita. The flippy little kitten creator floated before me.

"It figures." She muttered. "I get the trainer who ends up here." And then she hugged me, so I really don't think she cared much. Harley was staring in amazement. "How..." I turned to him. "I told you it was a game in my world. Everyone of the Legendaries is catchable there." Actually, that had always bugged me. How, upon catching a Legendary, no one cared.

The respective Professor never wanted to see them, trainers were never amazed by them, and you were never regarded as amazing for catching one. Not anymore. I turned to Vita. "Honey, would you like to go see Birch?" She shrugged. "As long as they don't use my DNA for another experiment, fine." I winced. Now would not be a good time to tell her I caught Mewtwo.

But screw that. "Before we go..." I sat. "I need to feel you, make sure this is real." They looked at me, then nodded. I rubbed my hand across Vita's head. She was so soft. So real.

Ichigo had soft, downy fur. "Just like the pokedex data." I murmured. I ran my hand across Zero's muscular flank. His tiger stripes were bold and harsh. He woofed softly.

Azrael's fur was like touching soft, fluffy snow. I squeaked at the coldness. Haushinka had glossy blue scales. Her gems were warm and hard to the touch. Dresden had sleek, glossy fur, and his blue rings were warm to the touch. Shuka-Rin was sparky; my hair frizzed at bit when I touched her. I pulled back.

"Amazing. Okay, Harley!" I looked at him. "You wanna come with us?" He thought; _stay with her_? He hmmed.

"Well, no matter how much time you spent playing the game, this _is _my world. So yeah, I'll help you. But how are we gonna get to Littleroot?" I looked at Vita. "Can you teleport us there?" She nodded. We were surrounded by a pink orb, and then Cycling road disappeared.

We were in front of May's house. I could see the lab. I ran right towards it, and the others followed right after. Trees, very real trees, were passing me by. I couldn't help but be amazed still. It was so insane to see this, for real, like it was on earth.

I steadied myself to find Birch sitting on the roof of his lab, fixing something. Harley followed me. "Professor!" Birch slid off the roof, and jumped down. "Eh? Oh, hello, Harley. Who's this?" I introduced myself. "I'm Lucy Saxon." I released Vita.

"I was wondering if you could keep an eye on her." Birch stopped. And then he stared. "Oh, my god. Come in, please!" He pushed me inside, to the lab. "HOW did you get that?!" I sighed.

"Um... well, I'm not from here." I explained my story quickly. He didn't take it as well as Harley, who was watching this unfold with a bemused look on his face. "I AM NOT A GAME!!" I winced.

"Well, not here! Just in my world!" He calmed down slightly. "Okay. Okay. So, if you're as amazing as you say you are, show me your other Legendaries."

I winced, thinking of them. Gigantic Hiromi, my Rayquaza. Slithe, my Deoxys, Faris, my Mewtwo... "Sure, professor. But before I get them, does this lab have insurance?"

"What?"

"...Nevermind."


	3. Birch's Lab! Sky Dragon Hiromi!

(I don't own pokemon- I do have each of these pokemon. I don't own the rights to them, which sounds confusing. Screw this, I want coffee!)

I recalled everyone, gave Vita and Ichigo's pokeball to Birch, and deposited everyone in the PC. I chose Hiromi, Slithe, Saorise, (my Celebi), Kalisha (Suicune), Tajia (Jirachi), and Faris. I gave them to Birch, and then withdrew Jet, (Latios), Iorek, (Raikou), and Europa, my Entei.

I winced. I had raised them to the max friendship level in the game... and Ichigo had known me, called me 'mommy'. So I opened the pokeballs.

Hiromi and Slithe immediately began attempting to kill each other.

"Damnit." Harley muttered. I sighed, and ran my hand through my hair. "Well, I should've seen it coming..."

Europa and Iorek both began racing around the room, speeding to the point of being streaks of color. Jet went over to Ichigo, and those two had a happy reunion. Kalisha, Saorise, and Tajia stayed with me.

"_Goodness_." Saorise observed wryly. "I _do believe we're all going to_ die." I shook my head. "Damn it... HIROMI!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. "STOP!!" He did.

"_Lucy_?" He floated down, and set his chin on my head. "_Lucy_." I gaped. "So, Hiro-hiro, let me get this straight. You destroy poor Birch's lab, and that's all you can say?!" He nods.

I look up. "I can't believe it." I hug him. I feel him rising up. "Hiromi!" I screech. He sighs. "_Do not worry. Climb on my back. We are going to fly._" I do as he asks, and with a flip of his tail, he soars outside. Birch and Harley stare in amazement. The fighting calms, as everyone stops to watch Hiromi and I.

He soars above Littleroot, in the clouds. Which are cold and wet. Shivering, I grip his scales, as he flips, rolls, and dives.

"H-hiromi!" I gasp. "...I cuh-can't breathe!" He nods, and dives down, slicing the air in two. We land.

"_Well, that stopped everyone from killing each other."_ Saorise noted. I nodded, and collapsed, gripping Hiromi's side. Harley rushed over.

"Are you okay?" I glared at him, and cold-cocked him, screaming, "WHAT DO YOU THINK, DIPSHIT?!" He blinked. "Oh... sorry." I sighed. "Forget it." We headed back inside, recalling everyone.

We left Birch with about twenty Legendaries. He attempted to 'fangirl' hug me, but I ran like hell before he could. As we walked to Oldale, Harley looked at me. "So, have you chosen the pokemon you're taking with you? Preferably something that can fly; we need to get to Slateport in time for contests."

I thought. "Hmm..." Once we headed into the pokemon center, I looked at the PC. Every one of my pokemon was there. I decided to take a few of the baby pokemon I had just hatched, and a few others; I could always switch, since Birch was thrilled to study my pokemon, obviously.

I went to the PC. Dresden and Azrael were obvious choices; I loved those two. "Four more..." I murmured, ignoring the trainers staring at my pokemon on-screen. Bad idea. They began muttering to each other about the girl with a shining Umbreon.

I picked Sophonax, a Charmander I had just hatched, Shuka-Rin, Haushinka, and... I thought of one more. "Hmmm..." I sighed. I scrolled through, until I decided on Zero. I loved him. Setting their pokeballs safely in my bag, I met Harley outside.

"We can't fly. But," I grinned, and brandished Zero's pokeball. "Thank you for choosing Zero Airlines. We hope—"

"A fire pokemon can get us across the water." Harley finished. I shrugged. "You wanna get there in time or not?" He nodded hurriedly. I threw out his pokeball.

"Zero!" He woofed happily, and licked me. "...Ew. Okay, so... Zero, we need to get to Slateport. Can you take us?" He woofed again, shaking his head.

"Great." I thought of Haushinka. "Shinks!" I called her out. "Can you get us to Slateport, please?" She nodded. "Woot!" I climbed on, helping Harley up.

As we sped off, I asked him, "Is there anything that can get us to be able to talk to them?!" He shrugged. "I think so... Translators are available in most shops, so, yeah." I sighed, and laid down on Haushinka's warm back.

"I'm so happy..." I murmured. "Why?" Harley sat up, looking quizzical. "You don't get it... well, let's just say my life was pretty shitty back in Jersey." He nodded.

"Oh. So, will you tell me?" I blinked. '_He's blunt, I'll give him that.' _I shook my head, and sighed. "Later, okay? I promise. Now, I just wanna sleep." He sighed, and nodded.

I leaned over Haushinka's flank, and observed the water. I sighed in happiness. This was so. COOL. I curled up, and fell asleep.


	4. Cookies are eaten! Normalcy is lost!

(Jesus christ, I don't own pokemon. STOP IT!! Oh, and someone go check out Song in the Dark; I need feedback on that. Psycho Delcatty. w00t.)

So Haushinka got us there by sunset. I stretched. "Thanks, Shinks." She hummed, and curled around my hips like a belt. I laughed. We headed to the Contest Hall, where Harley asked me, "Do you want to give this Contest a shot?" I thought.

I knew how Contests worked; and it would be so cool if I could give it a shot! "Yeah!" He nodded. "Alright, we have to go in and register. And," He glanced at my clothes. "You need new clothes." I thought.

"I don't have money." He sighed. "Check your bag." I opened it. "Oh, my god." The hundred dollars I had in the bag had turned into what must've been about a hundred thousand pounds. "Holy crap, I'm rich!" He nodded.

"Looks like it. Look, I'll register the both of us, and you go find some clothes. Meet me here in an hour." I nodded. "Right!" I set off for the nearest clothing store. "Hmm... what to wear..." I was perusing the racks, looking at random clothes, when I collided with a girl. "Ow! Hey, I'm sorry." I said. The girl nodded.

I got a good look at her; she had brown hair, and red clothes. "I'm May Maple. Who are you?" I stopped myself from going 'Holy crap!', and said, "I'm Lucy Saxon." She nodded.

"Oh. Hey, are you here for the contests?" I nodded. "Yeah, I'm here with Harley." I got the reaction I'd expected.

"_What!_? He's insane! And evil!" I rolled my eyes. "Oh, my god... May. He is just_ pissed_ because he thought you didn't want his damn cookies." She blinked. "Oh. That's it?" I rolled my eyes again, heaving a sigh.

"Yes! If you explained it to him, he might, you know, stop _HATING_ you a bit!" She nodded sagely. "Christ on a bike." I muttered. "Oh, right. I need your help." I grinned sheepishly. "What do you wear for Contests?" She blinked.

"You've never done this before?" I sighed. '_Honey, you don't know the half of it.' _I didn't explain, though; if Harley didn't kill her, or vice versa, I would. I just nodded. "No, I'm new. I've been training for battles." She nodded.

"Aah. Well, come with me!" She dragged me through racks and racks of clothing, until I saw a shirt I liked; it was black, with flared rainbow sleeves. "Hey, Gay Pride!" May had a confused look.

"What?" I sighed, and took the shirt off the rack. "Never mind." She helped me search for makeup, under her instructions, and I found a pair of girl's drainpipe black jeans. Since I had some room in my bag, I bought a black tank top, a pair of flair-legged black jeans, a few pairs of earrings, and a few more t-shirts, along with a few pairs of Doc-like boots.

Stuffing all this in my bag, I found my Ipod. "Hey, cool! What's that?" May asked. I blinked. '_I didn't think this came with me...' _I turned it on.

"It plays music. Wanna listen?" She nodded. As we headed to the Contest Hall, I gave it to her, turned it to 'Girl Anachronism', by the Dresden Dolls. As we walked, I thought of who to use.

'_Hmmm... Zero would be good for the battling appeal, and as for the visual appeal... Haushinka, I think. Or Dresden; shining pokemon are very rare, but so are Dragonair. Which rhymes... weird." _I shook my head.

As we walked, I released Sophonax, and picked her up. "Aww, you have a Charmander! What other pokemon do you have?" May asked me. I released the others. "Oh my gosh, a shiny! Wow! What's this?" She pointed to Azrael.

"This is my Glaceon, Azrael. She's the Ice Eevee evolution from Sinnoh." Haushinka hummed, and May jumped. "I thought that was a belt!" I grinned.

"Unofficially." Zero woofed, and everyone within a five-mile radius jumped. "Hey, 'Ro." May was amazed. "How'd you get such rare pokemon!?" I winced. '_Damnit.' _I thought up a lie, and I thought it up quick.

"...My parents." I lied, hating myself. She nodded. "Wow. Oh, look, we're here!" I shook my head, and followed her inside. '_Yeah, totally. Because your parents could totally buy you pokemon in _jail.' A snide voice told me. I ignored it, gripping Sophonax.

"Mander?" She said, looking up at me with concern. I hugged her. "Soph, it's nothing. Really..." I looked up.

Harley was arguing angrily with... "Drew! For the last time, I did NOT kidnap May! Jeez! Would you—" I smashed their heads together.

"Give it a _rest! _Drew, May's right here! Christ!" Drew looked at me. "How do you know my name?" Ignoring Harley, who was gesturing rather frantically not to say anything, (it was rather funny to watch), I said, "I heard Harley yell it from a mile away. I'm Lucy Saxon." He sighed.

"Right. Sorry." May went up to Harley. "Hmph!" I rolled my eyes. (I seemed to be doing this often lately.) "Harley, quit being a bitch. May wants to apologize." She sighed. "Sorry about the cookie thing. I'm on a diet."

"Speaking of which, _I'm not_." I grabbed another. "It's okay, May!" He squealed, and hugged her. Both Drew and I sweatdropped. "Help...me..." She gasped.

"But I'm still gonna own you in the contest!" He announced. I put my head in my hands, and groaned. "Speaking of which, we need to get dressed!" May dragged me forcefully back to the dressing rooms.

"HELP ME! THIS WOMAN IS INSANE!" I shrieked. Dresden looked at the two boys. "Bre un bre?" Harley shrugged. "I don't know... PMS?" I did get dressed; the rainbow shirt, and the drainpipe jeans. Gay Pride won out over Mew. Sorry, Vita.

I put on a layer of purple eyeliner on bottom, black on top. Something I forgot to mention; Lucy the freak has one black eye, one green eye. I looked at the purple makeup on the green eye, and sighed. Eau de Barney. "Ah, shit!" I wiped it off, and did blue on that eye. I blinked. "Done!" May came up behind me.

"Hey, you look good!" I looked at her. She was wearing a dress version of her shirt, and longer black leggings. "So do you." She nodded. "Thanks! Come on, the contest's gonna start!"


	5. Appeal time! First Contest!

(I don't own pokemon; Michelle gave me Harley as a birthday present though, yay!)

I was thrilled beyond belief. Here I was, in my first real contest! The announcer started, "Good evening, ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to our Contest, Slateport-style! Are you ready for Appeals?!" The audience roared. I gripped Haushinka's pokeball.

"First, we have Drew Rosalind, from LaRousse City!" Drew stepped out. He threw a pokeball out confidently. "Go, Roselia!" Said pokemon flew out. "Ro!" He nodded at her.

"Petal Dance!" She sent out a spray of flowers, which fell in intricate designs. She wasn't done. The petals began to change color. Blue, black, red, green, silver, orange, purple, and every other color in between, they filled the arena, and began spinning faster, faster, faster—

And then they abruptly stopped. They fell to the ground in a shower of silent color. One fell on my head, and I brushed it off. It was soft as silk.

I was enraptured. "Wow." May nodded, looking wistful. "It's so pretty..." I decided then that my next mission was to hook May and Drew up. I'd always been rather fond of contestshipping. We watched a few more coordinators; May knew all their names.

"That's Josia. She's from Mauville. And the girl with purple hair is Kira; she's from another region. I don't remember where. And that's Jessie; she always shows up here, but I don't know where she's from. And that boy is Alexei; he's from Lavender Town, fairly new."

I stared in amazement as she recited a list of names. I reminded myself that the real world would progress beyond the show. Still, it was unnerving. "Hey, look! Harley!" I watched intently. He strode out, obviously confident, and shining with limelight fixes, and fame's kisses. (Right, sorry. I felt like being poetic.)

"Ariados, go!" In a tumble of color and light, Ariados did. "String Shot!" Ariados shot out a web of... web-things. They zigzagged crazily around the arena, some of which landed in my hair. "Damnit!" I blinked, shrieking like a banshee in labor. "What the _hell_ are those things called?" May shrugged. Soon after, it was May's turn.

"Delcatty, you're up!" She threw out a pokeball. "Blizzard!" The arena was instantly awash in snow. Freezing cold, howling and fast, it stung my cheeks, and I felt blood. "C-cold..." I muttered angrily. "And_ painful_."

Finally, me. "Last but not least, we have our newest contender, Lucida Saxon!"

"Damn you, Harley..." I muttered. I raced out. "Haushinka, go!" She flew out, calling out in a chiming voice. The audience was amazed by the sight of this rare, mystic pokemon. "Ooooh..." I jumped on Haushinka's back. "Go, like you saw me with Hiromi!" I told her. She nodded, and in that moment, I hoped to _god _she had been paying attention.

I stood up, surfboard-style, as Haushinka sped in the air. I felt so free, so amazing. It was like being weightless. I wished for wings, in that moment. Just to fly like this, forever and ever... leave them all behind...

The announcer's voice brought me back to earth. "And Ms. Saxon dazzles us all with a Dragonair!" I had one last trick up my sleeve; nodding to Haushinka, I jumped. The weightless feeling was still there, only now it was mixed with terror.

Everyone in the room gasped. I realized, too late, how suicidal I must look. Hey, it's not every day you see girls riding on Dragonair, then jumping off.

But just before I fell to the floor, Haushinka caught me, and we sped into the wings. Everyone was staring. And then the applause began. As they judged the appeals, Harley ran up to me.

"What the FUCK!? You could've been killed!!" Drew snickered.

"Aww, wuz Hawwey wowried about his gwirlfreeennnd?" (A/N: It sounds indecipherable when you spell it, right?) He turned around to face Drew.

"_HELLO_, she fell from the goddamn _ROOF_! Of _COURSE_ I'm worried, who _WOULDN'T_ be?!" I winced.

"Harley, quit enunciating your words, it's annoying. Secondly, prepare yourselves for the battling appeals. _Now." _My eye twitched, and in that moment, I wanted to brutally murder the both of them. Why must everyone be so annoying?

As I walked off, Drew squealed, "Lucy and Harrlleey, sittin' in a tree, _K-I-S-S-I-N-G_..." I winced, as I heard Harley yell, "WHAT ARE YOU, _FIVE_!?" "What are you, _gay_!?" There was silence. Then; "_Bi-sex-u-al_, bitch!!"

(A/N: I always figured this. I mean, come on. It was SO implied, it's not even funny. And that is my catchphrase when someone yells, 'gay!' at me.)

I giggled. I couldn't help myself. It was too funny. Murder plans forgotten, for _now_, (they were always in the back of my head), I headed back to the wings with May. I fingered Zero's pokeball, warm and round. It throbbed with Zero's energy, which still amazed me.

It was like the pokeball was a _heart_...

"It's time to be pyromantic, love." I sat, and watched the names come onscreen. As they flashed, I winced. Perfect. May was fighting Drew in the first round.

And me? I got Jessie. Rocket girl. This just made me think of explosions, which made me want to blow shit up. This was not good for the contest hall.

Or the small shred of sanity I had chased down, shot in the head, and nailed to the floor of my brain. But anyway! "Shit!" I yelled. May looked at me quizzically. I could almost see, '_Damn, this girl's batshit insane' _floating above her head. "What?" I sighed.

" I have to fight Jessie. Shiitake." She nodded. "Hey, don't you have a brother?" I asked her. She nodded. "Yeah! ...How'd you know?" I, again, had to think up a lie. I was getting sick of this. I didn't like to lie; people were dumb enough as it was without me giving them false information.

"You were in the newspaper when you won the contest; I read it in my town, and it mentioned your family." She nodded. "Yeah, his name's Max. So, where do you live?"

'_Aggh!_' I lied, again. I needed to be careful, or I'd become a pathological liar. "Um, Blackthorn City." I thought again. "I moved here to try Contests after I beat the Elite Four there."

Technically, this was true; I had beaten Crystal. And I loved Blackthorn. So _everybody_ won. And I didn't have to explain that I ended up here after I got shot in the head. She nodded. "It explains your Dragonair and Charmander. Yeah, Max should be here tomorrow; he's with my dad."

I nodded. '_Oh thank Gaia, she BELIEVED me!!' _Anime-chibi me, who I had recently acquired, began doing the happy dance. Woot. I sat, and watched other Coordinators battle, with a lazy mindset. I figured it wasn't going to be too interesting.

Oh, was I wrong. These battles weren't just about skill; it was about making the most beautiful appeal possible. I mused on this, as I watched.

It was ironic that, I, as a hater of the airbrushed beauty myth machine, loved this part of the appeals. Because it wasn't about that sort of superficial beauty.

It was about stunning the crowd, being part of a show, a play, a _performance. _This was a circus, and the Coordinators were the ringmasters. I shivered in excitement for my turn.

May and Drew were up two people before me; Drew sent out Absol, which cheered me up. I loved Absol. May sent out Blaziken, looking confident. And why shouldn't she? Fighting beat Dark types, so she had the advantage, plus Blaziken was thrice-evolved, and therefore had more power.

Sophonax and Dresden winced in sympathy for poor Absol. Azrael just watched intently. Haushinka shook her head; for the most part, she was peaceful; a battling appealer she was not. Shuka-Rin ignored all this fuss, and sat in my lap. I hardly blamed her; my lap was comfortable. Zero was in his pokeball; though I hated this, it was for surprise value.

May ordered her Blaziken to use Sky Uppercut; Drew told Absol to use Aerial Ace, which struck first. Before I continued my watching, I went outside and bought popcorn. I hadn't eaten since Harley's cookie. And this was gonna get good.


	6. Challengers are fought! Plot thickens!

(Hey, everyone! Quick question; since the characters did not have nicknamed pokemon in canon, should I keep it that way, or change it? Suggestions? Michelle, your loss is from... well, I couldn't have our lord Harley _lose, _could I? –Laughs- Michelle got PWNED... Okay, don't own pokemon! And for Colonel Bastard, a rundown of Lucy's pokemon as of now-

Zero- Arcanine (male)

Dresden- Shining Umbreon (male)

Shuka-Rin: Raichu (female)

Sophonax: Charmander (female)

Azrael: Glaceon (female)

Haushinka: Dragonair (female) And that's her current six. As for whether or not she'll stay a Coordinator, stay tuned, my biznetches!

-Laughs evilly-)

Drew had realized Aerial Ace worked well against Blaziken, and so had used it twice in rapid succession. Blaziken was starting to wear down a bit. Sophonax squeaked as May ordered Blaziken to use Double Kick, sending Absol spinning around the room. "Char!" She pulled at my leg excitedly. I grinned.

She'd make a good battler someday. I strained to hear the announcer's voice over the roars of the crowd. "May retaliates... Razor Wind... And a stunning... oh! Two minutes are up! The winner is May!" May cheered, and tackled Blaziken. Drew smiled at Absol.

"You did very well. Next time, huh, Absol?" He cheered up. "Sol..." Drew recalled him, and congratulated May. I smiled. Harley came up behind me, and said, "What's up with him?" I jumped five feet into the air.

"What the hell?! Harley, you scared me!" I spat. He shrugged. "Whatever. Anyway, I think he's gone nuts. He totally let May win that last bit. With the Aerial Ace?" I shrugged. "I couldn't see." He puffed out his chest. "Well, when you become an Expert Coordinator such as _moi,_ it's quite visible." I rolled my eyes.

"Keep telling yourself that." He huffed, and then looked up. "Hey, there's a few more matches before mine. Wanna sit with me? I could show you what I meant, and teach you about battling appeals." I nodded. Unfortunately, Drew and May had just walked past. Drew began to laugh.

"Awwww..." I nodded at Shuka-Rin. The Raichu's Thunder Wave shocked him instantly. "Ow... can't feel... fingers..." May kicked him in frustration. "Get up, you wuss." "Meaaahhh..."

I tried to pay attention to Harley lecturing me on the way up. I didn't know much; just from what I'd seen on the show. Even though I didn't get half of it, Harley was a good teacher. "Which pokemon are you using?" I gestured to Zero's pokeball.

"Oh, cool. Okay, well, obviously, if you have a type advantage, that's great, but don't go for plain attacks. Drew just used Aerial Ace often. That's not a move with good shock value. For example, Fire pokemon are a good choice, because their attacks are very visual, and the flames can be manipulated..." I stopped paying attention.

Putting on my iPod, he yelled, "Have you been listening to a _THING _I just said!?" I shook my head, and proffered an earbud, pouting cutely.

"Truce?" He grumbled unintelligibly, but put it in. I switched to 'King for a Day', by Green Day, and giggled, watching his expression change. "Why you—"

Just then, they announced, "Our next contenders: Harley Davidson, and Kira Jenkins!" He stuck his tongue out at me, and growled, "I'll settle this_ later_." He strode downstairs, and I watched intently as the lights flashed, and the crowd roared.

"Haushinka!" I hissed. "More popcorn!" The Dragonair glared at me, but complied. Shuka-Rin and Azrael rolled their eyes.

"Eon..." "Rai-_chuuuu_..." They sighed. The girl with purple hair headed down the steps to the right, Harley to the left. They faced each other, and Kira grinned.

"You each have two minutes. Begin!" Kira threw out a pokeball. "Rin, go!" A black Ninetales with one tail flew out. I blinked.

"Odd... Right, Dres?" My Umbreon meowed an agreement. "Bre on um bre!" Then he flicked his tail, seeming to say, _"But I'm a shiny, so I can't talk." _I nodded. Harley threw out a black-and-gold patterned pokeball.

"Banette, go!" The girl called, "Rin, Fire Spin!" When Banette was enclosed, Harley waited a second, then called, "Banette, Shadow Ball! Break the spin!" Banette did so, shattering the vortex.

It exploded in fire and shadow. I whistled, along with Dresden and Saxon. "Fucking _brilliant." _I muttered. I fingered Zero's pokeball again.

"My god, I feel guilty. Sorry, 'Ro." I muttered to the pokeball. The battle proceeded quickly from there. This Kira girl was obviously versed more in the art of battling, and had no idea on how to make the appeal. Harley was obviously restraining himself from laughing.

He knew he was gonna win. The Ninetales bravely attacked Banette, but he withstood the attacks easily. As I stared at the strange Ninetales, I heard, "And the Banette seems to be... waving! Yes, he's waving at the crowd? Perhaps at a lady friend?" I looked up. Banette was waving, alright.

At _me_.

His jagged zipper teeth leered happily. I smiled, and waved back. Then, turning back to the Ninetales, he unleashed one last attack. "Jagged Zipper Strike!" I looked at Harley in surprise.

"WTF?" I murmured. But I saw it; Psychic energy began forming jagged saw edges around Banette, and it then turned into shimmering solids. It went in zigzag patterns, which then shot out in strips at Rin. They wrapped around her, and dug into her fur. She howled in pain, and Banette relaxed his grip. I was stunned.

"...Kick. Ass." I said in surprise. "And the winner is Harley Davidson!" He cheered, and attempted to hug Banette... passing through. "Damnit!" He yelled. I laughed.

"Retard." The girl, looking dejected, met up with another boy, who I recognized as having lost to Jessie in her first Appeal. I winced. "I feel ya, kid." '_Considering that will be me...' _As if on cue, they called my name. "Would Lucida Saxon and Jessie Custer (A/N: Anyone know her last name? I just made that up...) please proceed to the Arena?"

The audience roared as I headed for the steps. Harley met up with me. "Don't worry, Lucy," He reassured me. "You'll do great." I winced. "I hope so." I stepped down to the arena. I was now vaguely aware it was fucking hot in this thing. Jessie was standing at the other side. I gripped Zero's pokeball, and strode out.

"And we have Lucida Saxon—" "LUCY!" I screamed. "...Ah, right. Our newest contender, Ms. Lucy Saxon, from Blackthorn City," I sighed in relief. Harley was with me on this.

"Against Jessie Custer, from Pewter City, Kanto! There's two minutes on the clock; BEGIN!" She threw out a pokeball. "Seviper, go!" I grasped Zero's pokeball and tossed it. "Zero!" The Arcanine bounded out, and roared ferociously. The audience was stunned. I was just _full _of surprises.

"Seviper, Toxic!" The snake spit a glob of poison at Zero. "Zero! Use Flamethrower on the Toxic!" "Rarr-canine!" He did so, making the gloop bubble and burn, rendering it useless. Jessie growled.

"Seviper, use Poison Fang!" I turned to Zero. "Use Fire Blast! Direct all streams to Seviper!" He nodded, and opened his mouth to strike. I wasn't really aware of the announcer screaming his head off, or the audience screeching my name. I was only aware of the smell of burning flesh, and my own exhilaration. "Zero!" I screamed. He had hit the Seviper with five streams of fire. I grinned. This was too easy.

"Wrap, Seviper! Around the neck!" Jessie ordered. I saw him do it. He clung to Zero's neck, and squeezed. Zero couldn't strike without risking himself. The announcer called out that I had a tough job to do. I sighed.

"Yeah, no shit. Zero!" The tiger dog looked at me helplessly. "Um... Roll around on the floor! Try to bite him then, and dislodge!" He did so, rolling around, and making Seviper dizzy.

While he was out of it, I ordered Zero to grip him. He did, succeeding in freeing himself. "Zero! Crunch and Flamethrower!" I yelled. He did as such, as Jessie screamed, "Seviper, Poison Tail!" It was too late. Flames spilled out of Zero's mouth, and onto him. These only served to make him more majestic looking.

Seviper fainted, badly burnt and shaking. As they all cheered my name, I saw the room begin to spin. Colors were fading in and out of view, and I felt myself getting weaker and weaker.

'_Oh, no. It didn't follow me here..._' I panted. "Zero! Come here!" He saw something was wrong, and rushed over to me, dropping Seviper. "Ar-raowr!" He howled. I gripped his side, and blacked out. I was vaguely aware of them announcing I had won the first round, before being knocked unconscious completely.


	7. Ten Children? Tiedup Harley!

(This is for Michelle; you get to pwn May. Sorry about Harley, really. I feel _**really, really, really**_ bad. Please forgive me...

Edaniel: Please, god, _do_, she won't shut up.

And does Harley even have siblings? I just made this part up, 'cause it'd be funny. And I don't own pokemon, or Eragon. )

I woke up a while later, somewhere in the Contest Hall. They'd put me on a cot, somewhere in a spare arena. Cacturne and Wigglytuff saw me wake up, and excitedly hugged me. "You guys, please! She just woke up!" I sat up.

"Whozawhatnow?" It was Harley. "Oh, yeah... hi, did I get disqualified?" He blinked. "Um, no, you've only been asleep for fifteen minutes. Lucy, what the hell happened to you?" Tears brimmed in my eyes.

"I-I really don't want to talk about it, Harley. Please. Not now." He saw I was on the verge of bawling, and nodded.

"Okay, hon. But after the contest, please." I nodded. "Oh-okay..." I stood up shakily, Cacturne supporting me. "Thanks, Cacturne. We have to go..." May and Drew were waiting outside the hall. May's eyes lit up. "You're okay!" I nodded.

"Uh-huh. We have to go... the second round's starting..." Drew looked concerned. "Um, you don't really look up to it." I shook my head. "I'm fine. Besides, I can't quit now." As we walked back to the hall, I noticed my pokemon were gone. As if reading my mind, Harley handed me six pokeballs.

"I grabbed them. Zero's worried sick; I don't think he's in any condition to fight, so I think you should switch pokemon in this round." I nodded in agreement.

"Right. Good idea." I managed to make it back to the hall, just as they announced the fighters in the second round. Apparently, in some sort of knockout thing, the girl Harley had fought was in this round, fighting against May.

A few more people were in, and then my eyes flickered down to my name. "LUCY SAXON V. HARLEY DAVIDSON". I almost fainted again. (A/N: And if you did not see that coming, you are retarded. _Really._ I wasn't even _trying_.)

He quirked an eyebrow. "Oh, lovely." I grinned weakly at him. "Just... because you're my friend... I won't go easy..." Staggering again, I released Zero. "A little help?" He swung me up on his back. "Thanks, 'Ro..."He woofed, and shook his head in relief.

I gripped his fur as we went out to the arena lobby. I saw a few other trainers milling around there, including that purple haired girl. I went up to her, and introduced myself. "Hi, I'm Lucy Saxon." She nodded.

"The girl who beat Jessie? Cool." I nodded. "How are you still in the running? I thought you lost..." She shook her head. "No, I did. It was just that they had an odd number of people, since somebody got disqualified at the last minute, so they had me fight against someone else, and I won." I nodded.

"Cool. Hey, Harley!" I yelled. "Mhm? Oh, you're Kira. Hello, dear." I poked him. "Say you're sorry for pwning her." He glared at me. "No!" "Yeee-sss!" I kicked him. "Ow! Okay, jeez!" He faced Kira.

"I am most sincerely sorry for pwning your ass. Forgive me." I cracked up. Kira hit him over the head, which made me laugh harder. May sighed.

"Godamnit." I was still giggling when they announced May and Kira's match. "Ooh..." I tried to pay attention, but I was tired.

"Kira strikes back... Rin uses an improved Fire Spin... May tries to retaliate with Vine whip..." I blinked. "May's using Bulbasaur?" Harley giggled.

"Pwned, bitch." I sighed. May was trying to order Bulbasaur to use Sweet Scent in the Smokescreen, but it didn't work the way she wanted. Rin found Bulbasaur by scent. After knocking out Bulbasaur, the judge handed Kira a ribbon.

"And winner of our knockout challenge is Kira!" She cheered, and hugged the strange Ninetales. I clapped. "She's pretty good." I noted. "Who knew?" He shrugged. "Meh." I rolled my eyes.

"You just won't budge on this, huh?" He shook his head, smiling mischievously. "Nope." A few more matches came and passed; we were soon the last people to go. We sat expectantly, waiting for the match to start.

Our ears pricked to attention when the speakers sounded. "_Lucy Saxon and Harley Davidson, your match is about to begin." _He grinned at me. "Good luck." "You, too." We sped off in opposite directions. I nodded at Dresden.

"You up for it?" He nodded. "Good! Let's go!" I heard thier cheers, as the announcer called, "Begin!" Harley tossed a pokeball. "Banette, go!" I nodded to Dresden. "Dresden, go!" The announcer pounded his platform.

"And Lucy Saxon sends out a shining pokemon?! What more has this girl got?!" I winced. Jeez, we got it. I'm fucking awesome, bitches. Enough.

"Banette, Dark Pulse!" I winced. "Dresden, use Night Slash!" A giant shadow covered his claw, and he struck. Banette was weak against dark, and it hit him hard. I grinned.

Oh, I was gonna pwn his ass... He nodded at Banette. "Okay, use Hidden Power!" I saw a green energy appear, and strike Dresden. "Um..." I faltered. What now? "Dresden, use Crunch!" His fangs dug into Banette, who howled mentally. Harley swore.

"Damnit. Banette, Jagged Zipper Strike!" I was stunned. If it hit Dresden, I was fucked. And then I remembered Eragon. It was worth a shot. "Dresden, block out the energy! Focus on one thing, and throw up a wall!" He nodded, and shut his eyes. "Eon!" Banette's strike hit him... but it just passed through.

I cheered. "Yes!" Banette seemed weak, but I wasn't sure, and we were running out of time. There was thirty seconds left; could my luck stay up? "Dresden, Night Slash! Put all your energy in it!" I screamed. He did so, and struck Banette the only way possible in his situation.

He bitch-slapped him.

I burst out laughing, as Banette fainted. Harley stomped his foot. "Aw, come on! Not fair!" I jumped up and down, hugging Dresden, Zero, Haushinka, Sophonax, and Azrael. "We did it, we did it!" I cheered. "We did it!"

I swung them around. The judges brought me to a stage, and announced, "Our newest contender, Lucy Saxon, goes home with a Ribbon! Congratulations!" I smiled, and put the ribbon in my pocket. As we got off stage, Harley looked at me with more respect. I grinned up at him.

"So, I did good for a girl who just fell in here today?" He nodded. "I hate to admit it, but yes." As he smiled, though, his face suddenly turned white. "Oh... no..." I looked in that direction his eyes had landed on. All I saw was a motherly-looking person, restraining ten kids.

"_**Mom**_." He whispered this word as if it was a curse. I grinned. "Oh, that's all? Jeez, Harley." I walked up to her. "I'm Lucida Saxon. Nice to meet you." She nodded.

"Are you Harley's girlfriend?" As I stared in shock, Harley yelled in indignation, "Mom! I date men too, you know!" She nodded. "Yes, yes, that's nice, dear. Come on, we've been expecting you for dinner." And with that, she lassoed him, and threw his tied-up figure on the ten kids.

"Hawweey's home!" They squealed. He was screaming, "HELP ME! LUUUCCY!" Shrugging, I followed them, and sighed. "You guys coming? Zero?" Zero woofed, and followed me. Unknown to us all, Zero was thinking. And it was; '_Zero hungry. Zero want food. They have food. If not, kids my food.' _


	8. Life Support

(Okay, updatey! Review, please! P.S. Today is love your body day. Go love your body, and eat some ice cream without feeling guilty, would ya?

Angel: She doesn't own pokemon. (He's my Scizor. Named after Angel from RENT. RIP.)

I followed Harley's screams to a small, nondescript house in Slateport. Cacturne had gotten out of his pokeball, and as the children rushed inside, he and I both attempted to free him. "Help... me..." He whined. I kicked him.

"Would you shut up?! We are!" He stuck his tongue out at me... and then I pulled out a knife. "Sweet Jeebus, I'm sorry!" He screeched. I laughed.

"It's just for getting you out, don't worry. I had it in my bag." With that, we had him free in seconds. He, of course, attempted to run away. I grabbed him by the pressure points on his neck, and yanked him in. His mother was hurriedly preparing dinner. "Zero, Wigglytuff, restrain Harley, please. Mrs. Davidson, would you like help with dinner?" She sighed in relief.

"Call me Sarah. Thank you so much. Yes, please." As we cooked, the kids ran through the kitchen, and introduced themselves. "Haruka!" A girl with brown-black hair announced. "Jade!" A boy with light green hair announced. "Maeve!"

Another girl, this one with Harley's hair. And about seven others, who all looked just like either Harley, his mom, and the father, whom I assumed to have black or red hair. "Oh, you kids!" Harley's mom scolded, flapping her apron. "These seven are Zacky, Sheena, Amaranth, Shellie, Diana, Maxine, and Crash." Crash grinned at me. She was about ten, and had both black and red hair.

"Me real name's Cassidy, aye, but I've been breakin' things since ah come to live with them." She nodded. Seeing my confused look, Harley explained. "We adopted her, Jade, Maxine, and Sheena and Shellie." These were the kids with black-and-red hair. I was now officially confused.

"But... I thought, your dad was—" Sarah slammed her hands on the counter. "Him?! I divorced his greedy, cheatin' ass years ago!" I nodded, both horrified at the _ten kids_ factor, and the fact that she was RAISING ALL OF THESE KIDS.

"Wow." I gaped. And then glared at Harley. "Wow, some help you are." He nodded. I rolled my eyes, and pinched the bridge of my nose. "God help me."

And they were quick to destroy, as well, these kids. Crash, Zacky, Maxine, Sheena, Shellie, and Jade all were chasing each other around the room. "Right. Back to dinner. Harley!" I yelled. He was gone, running down the road yelling for Drew and May. Sarah rolled her eyes.

"He'll be back. He's done this quite often." I nodded in shock, and then proceeded to help with dinner. Even with Wigglytuff, Ariados, Cacturne, Shuka-Rin, and Banette helping, it was a lot to prepare for ten kids, and three adults. And it was a five-course meal. I was on the floor, panting, when Harley, May, Drew, and Max walked in.

"Oh, hi! You must be Lucy!" Max said. I nodded, too tired for any more introductions. "Geez, Harley! You left them here with this?" May gaped. I nodded wearily. Getting up, stumbling, I slapped him. "You stupid bastard." I collapsed in a table's chair, and instantly had about eight kids sit near me. "Oh, god."

It was just like at Brian's place. Five tired, haggard girls, eating quickly and quietly, so as not to attract attention. I sucked in a breath, reminded myself he couldn't hurt me here, and sat to eat. Noticing my look, Harley grasped my hand. As we ate through dinner, I came to learn a few things; Crash, Maxine, Zacky, Sheena, Shellie (A/N: Sheena and Shellie are twins), and Diana were all ten.

"How come you're not trainers?" I asked. They sighed. "Mom can't get us to Birch. It's time and money on tickets to a ferry she can't afford." My heart broke. "Oh, poor kids. No worries!" I reassured them. They looked up, eyes lit with hope. "I think I know how to get you guys there." I stood up. "I just need to make a call to Birch."

After ten minutes, I came back with a yellow-and-black pokeball. "It's a special way to get there. But you have to eat dinner to find out." Plates were cleared, stacked, and put away in a matter of five minutes. I blinked. "Holy crap. Well, come on." We all headed outside, and I tossed the pokeball up triumphantly.

"Hiromi!" Harley, who knew what was coming, covered his ears. The Rayquaza flew out, let loose an earsplitting roar, and soared into the sky, after snatching me up. "Oh. My. God." May and Max said in unison. I flew down. Everyone but Harley had a look of pure shock on their face. "Yeah. I have some explaining to do." I grinned sheepishly. After relating the entire story, May nodded.

"But... Blackthorn..." I nodded. "I love that place in the game. Dragon types rule." Hiromi nodded, and purred, (yes, you read that right), and grinned, curved teeth flashing.

May, still bewildered, poked herself quizzcally. "I'm a cartoon." I sighed. "Not anymore." She took that as a good answer. "Wow. How'd you think it happened?" Max asked me. I shrugged.

"I don't know. Dying might've done it. Or maybe this was where I was meant to be." Max nodded. Calormene looked up. "It's dark out, kids. If you wanna be pokemon trainers, you've gotta get sleep."

"Aww..." They said. Crash cursed. "Ah, fuck!" As her mother yelled at her, she turned to me. I gave her a nod, and grinned. She smiled back. As we went into the house, I found there was a dilemma. May and Drew, along with Max, left one bed.

_Harley's bed._

I winced. Grabbing a spare blanket, I announced, "I'll sleep on the floor." Harley pouted, as I set up a bed. "You mean." I nodded. As I recalled everyone, put their pokeballs into a velvet lined basket with Harley's, I tried to fall asleep. But Harley kept me awake.

"Lucy?" He whispered. "Hm?" He bit his lip. "Um, about what happened in the Contest Hall..." I took a deep breath. About to cry, I opened Sophonax's pokeball.

"Soph, stay with me. Please." I begged her, already began to cry hard. She saw my tears, and nodded. Clutching her as if my life depended on it, I faced Harley, who looked confused and concerned about my tears. I began.

"Harley...I told you my life was terrible. Well, see... my parents were junkies. They took drugs, and they couldn't stop. Hell... my mom shot up heroin twice when she was pregnant with me, did cocaine, and drank. And so I was born addicted to heroin and crack. And I had alcohol in my system, because my mom went drinking before she was taken to the hospital."

Harley looked utterly horrified, and Sophonax was hugging me tight. I was talking through a veil of tears now, but I couldn't stop. I had to tell someone. "Thankfully, they fixed me up as best they could, but I still had seizures, or better described as blackouts. And even though my parents were junkies, I slipped through the cracks. There were too many kids just like me, who needed attention." I took another breath.

"So it progressed. They kept doing drugs, I kept having blackouts and fainting spells, but it was only in 1995 that they found out, and took me away from my parents. Which made it even worse, and even better. I was three when Pokemon came out, and I got it. I fell in love with it, and my Charizard, Szeren. But she couldn't help me. My new foster dad the court stuck me with was..." I took another breath.

"...He was an, an alcoholic, and he needed money for it. So he, he..." I burst into tears. "He turned me, and five other girls the foster care system had dumped him with... into... p-prostitutes. He sold us for sex, so he could get money." I burst into tears, sobbing so hard it seemed my heart would burst.

Harley sat on the bed, shocked. "Oh, Lucy." I was wailing, rocking back and forth on the floor. He got off the bed, and gathered me into his arms. "Lucy, come here..." I turned, and sobbed into his chest.

"I was so scared..." He nodded, stroking my head. "I know, it must've been scary. But he can't hurt you here." I nodded. Rising to get up, he stopped me. "No, wait. Stay here with me." I nodded shakily. "I don't have much of a choice." I tried to smile. He said nothing, just gathered me into his arms.

I rolled over, and fell asleep. Sophonax was asleep on the edge of the bed. The one thing I hadn't mentioned? Sophonax was Szeren's kid. I made a note to tell her that, but I fell asleep before I could open my mouth.


	9. Shining Absol! Pull yourself together!

(I don't own pokemon. Scourge is based off a shiny Absol I NEED. Anyone trading on the GTS? I don't own pokemon...)

The next morning, I found myself entangled in Harley's viselike grip. He looked so cute sleeping, that I took care not to wake him, as I wriggled out of his grip. Snorting, he rolled over where I had been, and gripped the pillow.

I giggled, and sat on the windowsill. He looked so peaceful, and yet so stupid, as he slept. Like you could... "_Draw on his face_." I said out loud. Grabbing a marker, I began to doodle. Ten minutes later, I raced downstairs, where the to-be trainers were chugging down breakfast. Crash noticed me.

"Ey, she's up! We're going soon, aye?" I shook my head. "No, not until I've had coffee." She frowned.

"Yer ma's a hooer." I grinned at her accent. "So I've been told." As I sipped coffee nonchalantly, Harley burst into the room, an incredibly pissed off look on his face. Well, under the marker.

"LUCIDA FUCKING SAXON, WHAT THE FLYING FUCK DID YOU FUCKING DO TO MY FACE!?!" Crash was writing this down intently, as Sarah yelled, "Harley! Don't swear! You're giving Crash ideas!" He growled angrily, pointing at me, who had slumped onto the table, giggling like crazy.

"MOM! SHE FUCKING DREW ON MY FUCKING FACE!" Drew the boy had come out of his room, Roselia following him. "You called?" He then caught sight of Harley's face. His face lit up in an evil grin.

"You got _pwned_, bitch." Harley snapped. "I FUCKING HATE ALL OF YOU!! I HOPE YOU GO TO HELL, AND GET FUCKED UP THE ASS BY SATAN'S PITCHFORK!!!" As he stormed back to his room, Crash wrote, "Right. Pitchfork...ass...Satan. Got it!" I rolled my eyes, and snorted into my coffee. May walked out.

"What'd I miss?" I shook my head. "ManMS." She sighed, grabbed a muffin, but said nothing. I glared at the muffin. "You ugly cupcake." I then hugged it. "But we loves you anyway!" Everyone just sighed.

After Harley spent an hour in the bathroom washing off the marker, we were ready to go. I summoned Hiromi, and we loaded everyone onto his back. To pass the time, I read The Lorax to Maeve and Jade, who were about seven and five, respectively. After I finished, I looked up. "So, you guys like it?" Everyone was silent.

Then Crash yelled, "THOSE FUCKERS BETTER PUT THOSE FUCKING TREES BACK WHERE THEY WERE, OR I AM GOING TO FUCKING KILL THEM!!" I put the book away. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea.

Hiromi was laughing the entire way to Littleroot. When we finally got there, not a moment too soon, Birch was agape with shock. "I... I don't have enough starter pokemon." The kid's faces fell.

"No!" Crash screeched. "NONONO!" I put my hand on her shoulder. "If you ask Hiromi, we can go anywhere you want for a pokemon." I said calmly. Their eyes lit up. So we came up with a plan.

Sarah would stay with Birch and the kids, they could play with the pokemon, and Harley, May, Drew, and I would take the kids on Hiromi. But before we left, I went inside and had some time with my friends stuck at Birch's lab. Giving one last hug to Ichigo, I asked Birch something. "Do you have about eighteen Translators?"

He laughed, and called the kids over. Handing them each one, Harley and I six, he sent us off. Promising we'd be back, we set off. "Where to first?" Hiromi asked me. Maxine wanted a Poochyena, which was simple enough. We simply walked for this one.

We searched for awhile, and came across one soon enough. The little monster snarled. I handed Maxine a pokeball. "Just use Zero. Scare him, and," I gave her an Ultra Ball. "This should work." She nodded. "Go, Zero!" He filled up the space between us and the Poochyena.

"Oh. My. God." Everyone gaped, including the Poochyena. Maxine threw the ball, and ensnared it almost instantly. "WOOOT!" She cheered. Releasing the Poochyena, she said, "Hi! My name's Maxine!" He wagged his tail. "I have to name you. Hmm..." She picked him up. "How about Bleak?" He wagged his tail again. "Cool!"

She put him on her shoulder, strapped on the Translator, and petted his head. So then we set off. Maxine and Bleak were conversing in the back, as we tried to drown them out. Next, Route 113. Zacky wanted an Electrike. So we neared Cycling road, and the Trick Master's house, and set out into the grass.

The Electrike banged into Harley, and shocked him. As Harley ran around screaming about his hair, Shuka-Rin sighed. "_Damnit, that's my job." _She hugged me, and I smiled. "I love you, Shukie." She hurred. "Ruh-RAI!" I smiled. Zacky threw a pokeball, but the Electrike raced away.

"Lucy, I need help." He whined. I nodded at Haushinka. "Wrap the Electrike up, please." She chimed at me, and raced off. Zacky threw the ball, and this time, it stayed shut. "Oh, yes!" He released her, and said, "Your name's Raiden!" She nodded.

"Rrrike! Errrike!" We set off, this time for Fortree. Near there, there was Absols. And Crash wanted one desperately. So we searched in the pouring rain. "Where's me fucken Absol!" Crash screamed desperately, and then began to sob. As we watched in silence, we heard a padding noise.

"Sol..." She looked up, utter hope in her eyes. I gasped before anyone else. It was a shining Absol. Crash stared in utter awe. "Don' be afraid." She said softly. It was then I noticed the gaunt appearance, the dull scythe, the ribcage, the clinging-wet soaked fur, and the terror and pain in the Absol's eyes.

I remembered all the time I had spent hunting for a shiny, and finally being rewarded with Nharen through luck. Dresden, too. Yet this one looked terrified. Crash got down on her knees, level with the Absol. "Hey. Are you okay?" The Absol shook his head. "Sol, ab. Sol." Crash nodded.

"It's okay now..." Crash hugged him. The Absol stiffened, but eventually relaxed into the hug. "Come on." She threw a pokeball. The ball shook once, twice, three times, and stayed shut. Crash picked it up, hands trembling. "I did it." She whispered. Releasing the Absol, she put a Translator around his neck, and asked,

"What happened to you?" The Absol spoke. "Pack ran me out. They said I was a monster, because of my color. I've been running for a week, now." Crash patted his head. "It's gonna be okay now, I promise."

"What is your name?" The Absol asked. "Cassidy. Call me Crash." The Absol nodded. "And you?" He slumped. "They call me Lost. And Devil." Crash sighed. "Mean mofos. Well, let's see... how about Scourge? 'Cause you and me, we're gonna own everyone in the world!" The Absol smiled.

"Scourge sounds fine... Lady Crash." She smiled. We clambered back onto Hiromi, and caught Sheena a Houndour, Shellie an Aron, and Diana a Sentret. These captures consistently featured one thing; Harley got attacked by the pokemon. Which was funny as hell, but resulted in a banged-up Harley.

As we flew back to Littleroot, I mused on Scourge's existence. He was a shining pokemon. A rare, blessed pokemon. Yet he was rejected. Were humans and pokemon that radically different, that one loved, and the other despised?

I dismissed the thought. We were approaching Littleroot, when I heard a shriek. "Drew! HELP!" May screamed. She was slipping off Hiromi. Evilly, I thought to push her, but Drew grabbed her hand.

"I got you!" He pulled her up, and sat her in front of him. I rolled my eyes. That contestshipping I'd planned? I was reconsidering it.


	10. Ten things I try to hate about you

(This chapter is going to be short, shameless Lucy/Harley fluff, but nothing too heavy yet. She'll still annoy him, and eat his cookies, and do other shit, no worries! This is mostly in Harley's POV. And I'll write a longer one soon, I promise. Oh, and a shout-out to Erisna Deathclaw; She got me a real-life Scourge, and she writes fucking amazing stories. _**GO READ THEM, OR I WILL HAVE SCOURGE EAT YOUR**__** SOUL.**_ Okay, don't own pokemon! Oh, and someone said I stole the name of my main character from doctor who. Sorry, I don't watch it, I wouldn't know. Really sorry.)

Unbeknownst to me, Harley was glaring at the scene of May and Drew practically fucking in front of us. He was fuming.

–_Harley's POV-_

Godamnit, sonofaBITCH! I should do that to Lucy. Then she could fall off, I'd save her, she'd love me, and we'd get married, and have a house with a white picket fence, and have 2.5 kids. ...Or not. But, come on! Drew and May are obviously gonna go out! And me!

Poor Harley, still single.

And the girl I like is a former prostitute with emotional issues. I grimaced. Okay, that was mean to Lucy. But it was true. I just couldn't like her.

Traveling kinda made it hard to have a steady relationship, and I knew I wasn't the easiest of people to get along with. But still. I decided I had to make a list of things I hated about Lucy fucking Saxon. (A/N: and we all know where this goes. Silly Harley, trix are for kids!)

We breezed back to Slateport after picking everyone up. We were making plans for a party for the new trainers, and then Drew, May, Max, Lucy, and I were going to head to Lavaridge for another contest. As the others ran around downstairs, I sat up in my room. Banette and Octillery were reading over my shoulder.

"Harley hate Lucy-friend?" Octillery asked me. I snorted. "I'm _trying." _Cacturne sighed. "Harley's an idiot for not liking Lucy-friend."

I glared at him. "No one asked you!" I began to scribble.

_Ten things I hate about Lucy Saxon_

_By Harley Davidson_

_1. She is a prostitute_

I paused. That wasn't fair. She didn't want to be one. And she had sounded so scared when she cried to me that night. It was then I knew I needed to protect her from all the bad people in the world; I would do that proudly. I shook my head. Fuck! Not working yet, try it again!

_2. She has stupid hair_

Those rainbow stripes. Those soft rainbow streaks that told the world she was bisexual, like me. That she was happy. Or maybe that the rainbow had ended. I didn't know. All I knew is those streaks of rainbow in her raven hair made me want to entangle my hands in it, and— Fuck! It KEEPS GOING! I'm supposed to hate her!

_3. Her pokemon are more powerful than mine_

Yeah, she beat me in the Contest! AND she did it gracefully, like the essence of grace itself. She looked like an ancient warrior queen, shouting orders to her troops in the thick of battle—GODDAMNIT! I'm doing it AGAIN! Okay, number four. Ignoring Wigglytuff's knowing looks at Ariados, I wrote number four.

_4. She cries in front of me_

That night she told me her past, she was blubbering all over the blanket, and her Charmander. Seriously! It made me so angry—that her parents treated her that way, that she had to suffer, and I wanted to kill all of them. I sighed, and put the pencil down. I couldn't even get mad at myself at this point. But I had to write this.

_5. She's violent_

Well, she is. But she makes me laugh, as she swears, and yells angrily. It makes me smile, that she could be so angry and happy at the same time.

I think. What now? I'm halfway done.

_6. She just appears out of nowhere, and comes along with me_

Okay, granted, I agreed to help her. But she can take care of herself, right? But that doesn't mean I can't protect her... ah, fuck! On to seven!

_7. She loves her pokemon more than people_

Lucky bastards. She hugs them all the time, smiling and laughing, and I wish so hard to Jirachi she'd do that for me. Smile and laugh, and hug me. I wish I could be her pokemon.

_8. She is so brash_

Always laughing, outgoing, and she tries so hard to smile. She is so brave... goddamnit, nine! NINE! I can do this!

_9. She is always there._

Always there to watch over me, smile about something we did, or something else. She's always there. Like she is now. Wait_**. WHAT?!**_

Sure enough, Lucy is climbing up the steps. "Harley! We're ready to party! You coming?!" She yells. Looking at my list, she says, "Whatcha writin'?" I smile, and shake my head. "Nothing, Lucy." But before I follow her down the steps, I put a slash after 'hate', and I write, 'Love'. And for my last one, number ten, I write;

_10. She's too good to be true._


	11. Cards are dealt! Predictions are made!

(This is kind of short; updating fast as possible, sorry! P.S. Here's a fucking secret: I DON'T OWN POKEMON. No SHIT.)

I waved a hand in the air. "Yeah yeah, ashes to ashes, dust to dust, life is short, so PARTY WE MUST!!" So it went. Cake, food, and... Crash was currently hanging up a piñata. Seeing this, Harley screamed, "NO!"

After causing everyone to jump out of their skin, Harley shrieked, "Piñatas promote violence against flamboyant animals!!" I giggled. Grabbing a knife, I stabbed the piñata viciously. When I looked up, hair in my eyes, everyone was staring. Remembering something, I grinned.

"It said something about my momma." Harley looked confused. "I thought you hated her." I sighed. "Slang, dear." "What?" I pinched the bridge of my nose. "Never mind." As we danced and ate into the night, I snuck into Harley's room, and opened his closet. I was rather surprised when I saw some slightly fashionable clothes in his closet.

At least by my standards. I grinned. Grabbing his bag, I got rid of all his clothes, except the Cacturne outfit (I did rather like it), and shoved them in. And then I had an idea. A wonderfully awful idea. I searched through my bag. Grinning, I held up my prize.

Hey, a prostitute's gotta have a few condoms here and there. Jackass father did something _right _for once. I wrote a note, "_Love, mom", _apologized to Sarah in my head, and shoved it in there. Giggling, I returned to the festivities.

The next morning, Happy Hangover Hour was about to begin. "Owww... my head..." I groaned. I pulled myself off of the couch, and woke up Harley. "Huh? Lucy?" I checked. "Pants on... okay, good! We didn't do anything!" He glared at me, and got up.

"Dresden!" The Umbreon bounded down, our bags on his back. "Alright, let's go." Sarah had ordered them to stay together until at least one of their pokemon evolved. But Crash wanted to explore the option of being a Coordinator... so as we prepared to leave on Zero, she stopped us.

"Guys, wait! Can I come with you?" She yelled. I thought. "I'm good. Harley?" He shrugged. May and Drew seemed okay with it too, so I gave Crash a hand up onto Zero. "Okay, Zero! To, um... Lavaridge!" Since he had come from FireRed, I assumed he wouldn't know where that was. But he sped off before I could figure out this.

I clutched Sophonax in terror, as we sped through Mauville, Fallabor, and finally sprinting to Lavaridge. This entire trip took about an hour. I slid off Zero, my legs feeling like jelly.

"Zero Airlines rides again." I muttered. As we walked through the Contest Hall, May waved to a bunch of people she knew, and we watched her yell names out with an air of amusement.

But then she stopped short. I followed her gaze to the boy we loved to hate, Ash Ketchum. And that girly-girl tweeny-bitch, Dawn. She stiffened. Ash saw her, and ran over.

"Oh, hey May! What's up?" Haushinka muttered to me, "This boy's voice is a cheese grater for the ears." I giggled. Ash introduced Dawn, whom I already knew.

"And we're gonna be in the Contest!" He finished, pulling Dawn to his shoulder. I cracked my knuckles, grinning madly. As we walked to register Crash and ourselves, I laughed. "Both of them are _so dead_." Everyone inched away at my words.

As Crash got her Coordinator license, I told Haushinka, "This time, we're gonna try a loop-the-loop. When I fall, grab me, complete the thing, and then do a figure eight." She shook her head.

"Dragon Dance." I thought. "I guess... can you do it with a human?" She nodded. "Right then, it'll work." That settled, I sat down and played tarot. I had illustrated my own cards, and blessed them. They had never lied to me, and considering the situation I was in, I kinda needed them.

Shuffling my deck, I set them out, ignoring everyone's stares. I picked up the first one. "Ankh. Death and Birth." That made sense. I drew the next card. "Lucy, what—" May nudged Max. "Sssh!" I pulled it. I blanched. "Lucy?" Harley asked me. Fingers trembling, I showed him the card.

"Ares. War and Destruction." I set it with the Ankh. I drew the third card. "Gaia. World." I put that down. Fourth one now.

"Persephone. Daughter." I drew the last card in the row. "Yin-Yang. Half." I blinked. "I don't know what on earth this means. But the cards cannot lie. So they're trying to tell us something."

"But what?" Drew asked. I shrugged. "No clue. But it has to be important." As we separated to get dressed, I thought of Hoenn's plot. I stopped short.

"Fucknuggets!" I swore. I really, really hoped it wouldn't work out that way. But I couldn't think. Crash was tugging on my arms, yelling something about helping her dress.

I couldn't help but worry. As I helped her into a neat black dress, she asked me, "Did those cards say we were gonna die?" She looked so solemn for a ten-year-old. I hugged her.

"No, we won't. I promise." I got dressed, as well; I wore a tight black tee with 'Bite Me' and Rocky Horror Picture Show Lips on it, and a pair of my black jeans with the Misfits logo on the ass. I figured no one would know what it was, but it was still cool. Pulling on a pair of gloves, I went and found May and Crash.

Scourge sat at her side proudly, head held high. In two day's time, there had been such a change in him. He used to be so skittish. And now he looked awe-inspiring. I nodded to the others, and we stepped out into the arena, tarot forgotten.

For now. The universe works in mysterious ways...

I was lucky enough to get sucked into her comings and goings. Yay me.


	12. Harley lost! Passed out!

(Hi, all! Now, for most notes, you can check the end now; just tidbits of info that I can't fit into the paragraphs. They're marked with an aterisk, or a (1) or (2), etc... Onward with the story! Azephere, my dear Weavile, disclaimer!

Aze: She doesn't own pokemon.)

The announcer yelled, "Welcome to Lavaridge Contest Hall! Are you ready for dazzling appeals?" The audience cheered. I rolled my eyes. "That's why we're _here_..." He called out the first name, which happened to be Dawn. She skipped out in that inane pink dress.

As I retched, making the others giggle, she threw her pokeball. "Piplup, spotlight!" The blue penguin flew out. He blew a stream of bubbles, showing us all with soapy sparks. I wrinkled my nose.

"Ew, wet." She recalled him to cheers, and she ran backstage. The announcer clapped, and announced a few more names. I saw a few kids who looked about twelve, and one kid, about eleven, maybe, with blonde hair.

He threw out a pokeball, and it appeared to be a female Mightyena. I was a bit surprised, but Crash was just staring at him with deadly intent. I sighed. It didn't look good for this kid if he faced Diva Destruction here...

Next, Ash. He nodded to that damn Pikachu, who Shuka-Rin growled at. As he appealed, I turned to May. "Do you know why he's here?" She shook her head.

"In Hoenn? No. But I guess that new girl he's with likes Contests." She looked pissed. Drew put a hand on her shoulder.

"May, forget them. You're so much better." We both stared at this comment, but May had the sense to keep her mouth shut. _Mine_ was about to reach the floor, however.

This conversation lasted about two more appeals, until the announcer was yelling out Crash's name. She walked out, looking confident and proud. "Scourge! Swords Dance!" She yelled, tossing the pokeball. The Absol jumped down, and landed neatly.

Then, a ball of energy swirled out of him, and took the forms of seven swords, which slashed and fought around him. She nodded to him, and he jumped out, doing a backflip. The audience recovered from the shock of seeing a shiny, and cheered.

I grinned at Azrael, who appeared to have a small crush on our friend here... and Dresden looked jealous. It was strange, seeing them that way. After all, the only thing relating to it in the anime was that damn Buneary's crush on Pikachu. Ick. Eye twitching, I clapped at Crash's appeal. Harley didn't say anything, but he looked incredibly proud of his sister.

As she finished the appeal, the announcer called Harley, who grabbed Banette's pokeball. He strode out, and tossed the pokeball. Banette flew out.

"Shadow Ball, please." Harley asked Banette. Banette obeyed, and soon enough, the entire arena was covered in a blackish-purple shadow. I whistled. That must've taken a lot of power. Crash saw me staring, and grinned.

"Ah think he's pissed 'cause yah beat 'em in tha Contest." (A/N: Jesus H. Christ, she sounds like Anderson. (1)

I nodded. "Looks like it." He retracted the shadow, and said, "Fling!" I raised an eyebrow. "What the..." He ripped open his skin, and I clapped my hands to my mouth. "Harley, you ass—"

Banette threw out... stuffing. Yep. I relaxed. "He is a toy, after all." Drew reminded me. I nodded. "Right." Still a bit shaken as he returned to our ragtag group, I told him, "Okay, a bit more warning before you rip your pokemon apart?" He grinned at me. "You liked it?" I nodded, and congratulated Banette.

"Thank you, Lucy-friend!" He smiled at me. He looked so cool when he smiled. Like he was gonna eat you. I was watching intently as May appealed. She sent out Blaziken, who used Sky Uppercut, then came down to earth with Blaze Kick. I whistled. "Nice." Drew nodded. Bored, as Drew appealed next, I played with my lighter. "Flick. Flick." I repeated to myself.

It went out, then on. Out, on. Out, on. It was rather calming, and since our house lost electricity quite often, I'd bonded with flames. They had always been guardians and friends to me; they could protect with their searing flicker, but calm a sobbing child with their light and warmth. I suppose that's why I chose Szeren as my first starter. And then it hit me; I had never gotten her out of the PC.

Feeling incredibly guilty, I decided as soon as this contest was over, I would get her. But who to switch out with? I looked at Dresden and Azrael. They had apparently apologized to each other over the Scourge thing, and so I decided to let them stay in the Day-care for awhile.

They were such a cute couple. So I could get Szeren, and another. Sophonax might stay with me for a while longer; Szeren was her mom, after all. But I could worry about that later. Now, I had an appeal to make. They had all heard the news about the girl and her Dragonair, and were cheering my name as I tossed out Haushinka's pokeball.

"Dragon Dance!" I called.

However, what I got was far from expected. She swept me up, and held me on her body by telekinetic force. (2)

She then swept us up into the air, straight up. It took all I had not to scream. She twisted widly, right to left, whirling, twirling, and she let me grip her on all fours, like you would on a horizonal pole. She shot straight down, and straight up in a frenzied dance.

And through all of it, she was singing. A high, almost otherworldly, tune. Something that made me think of love and hate, life and death, hope and destruction, and everything ruled by them. It was maddeningly enchanting, this world that belonged to the creatures of myth and legend, and not me.

I wanted, _needed _this place to call me one of their own, more than I needed the blood that ran through my veins.

Haushinka was still spinning, in loops and short dives now.

I was screaming, now, but you couldn't hear me over the wind and the singing.

We went higher, and I knew then I had to jump into the world weaved in song, or die—

And then, abruptly, it stopped. We flew into the wings, amidst screaming and cheering. I got off her slowly.

She looked at me, and said quietly, "This is my world. This is the world you will come to know, in time." I was amazed. "When?" I asked her. She blinked at me with her great brown eyes. "In time."

I sighed. "Okay, fine." She chimed at me. Harley and the others rushed up. "You were fabulous!" Harley cheered. I nodded. "Thanks, Harley. Are they ready to start the battles?" He nodded. "Yup. Come out and see!"

We went out, and checked; Drew was fighting May in the first round. I got Ash. While I wanted Dawn, hopefully I'd get her later. Harley had Crash. I prayed she'd pwn Harley. Even if she only had one pokemon.

Everyone's appeals were dazzling. Drew won against May this time, as he sent out Roselia. I liked the way she battled. It reminded me of deadly nightshade personified

. May looked frustrated, and I swear I saw her muttering something about hating him for eternity, and burning in hell. I grinned. "Yeah, that'll last five minutes, tops." Harley slipped me a ten. "This says he gets her in bed." I rolled my eyes, but couldn't keep from laughing. "Retard." He flipped his hair, and huffed. "Oh, listen to you!" I sighed.

"Could you act like an airheaded bitch any _more_ than you are now?" I muttered. He harrumphed, and stuck his tongue out at me. I flicked his nose.

"Behave, my Sweet Transvestite." As I walked away to grab a soda, I heard him process this comment. And then the inevitable... "HEY!"

Next, we had Dawn and some kid named Kenny. She beat him with Pachirisu quickly; he had a Prinplup. I rolled my eyes.

"She couldn't have gotten a pokemon that evolved, huh? Seriously. Floatzel's never gonna happen; it's not properly 'cute'." I took a breath, preparing for a rant.

"Buneary can't because of that damn yellow rat. Besides, Lopunny is a Playboy Bunny. This wouldn't hold over with the kids-friendly crap. (2.) And Empoleon for the same reason as Floatzel. Maybe Prinplup. MAYBE. And this is why I hate her."

I explained this angrily to a fascinated and slightly bemused Harley. I noticed he and Crash were next, after Dawn won. I cracked my knuckles. "Good. I'll get to face her."

Crash... suprisingly, pwned Harley. It was Cacturne versus Scourge, and he won in a matter of minutes, with a combo Aerial Ace/Flamethrower. I figured it was from a TM, but it was still so amazing to see a ten-year-old best her older brother at his own game.

I was cracking up when they returned, Crash and Scourge thrilled, Harley not. "I'm so glad mum got me tha TM before we left!" Crash said happily. Harley pouted, and muttered, "Evil." I grinned.

"Cheer up, Harley. You'll win as soon as we win enough Ribbons for a Grand Festival."

He unleashed a few choice swearwords at me, and as our pokemon stared in horror and twisted amusement, Crash wrote these swearwords down like someone who'd seen this before.

Quite often, in fact.

And, even though I'd only been here for about a week, I didn't doubt that.

(Okay, for notes.

One : Anderson is from an anime I love, called Hellsing.

Two: Haushinka is a Dragonair. She's gotta have some power like that. If not, sorry.)


	13. Entei's Rage! Hiromi returns!

(Okay, Ash and Dawn both get pwned by Lucy. YAY! Don't own pokemon.

Props to the real-life Scourge, waiting for this weekend patiently with Erisna. See you soon, promise!)

Finally, it was my turn. Against Ash. I giggled evilly. I gripped Zero's pokeball. As I called, "Zero!", Ash turned to Pikachu. "GO!" I sighed. "Too easy. Zero!" He looked at me, tail wagging. "Step on him!" Zero did so, and held Pikachu in place. "Now use Flamethrower!" At such a close range, Pikachu was horribly burnt. I cracked up at the sight of mouse flambé.

"I have wanted to do this for_ever._" Ash faltered slightly. "Pikachu! Thunderbolt!" I nodded at Zero.

"Duck the beam!" He got on his belly, as the electricity passed him. Ash had obviously never been in a contest before, and was doing it only to please Dawn, I assumed. I grunted.

"Pity. I would've loved to liberate Charizard." I shook my head to clear my thoughts, and ordered Zero to Crunch, and send Pikachu flying. He grinned at me, howled, and obeyed.

I snickered as Pikachu smashed into the stadium wall, and Ash stared agape. I recalled Zero, and walked to where Harley and the others stood, May with a look of gratitude on her face. I turned to Ash, and said, "I expected better of you, oh Gary-Stu." Ignoring the look on his face, I pranced back to the others. Drew smiled at me, then checked his watch.

"We've got fifteen minutes. Shall we go get something to eat?" We all rushed off to the stands in a heartbeat. Drew rolled his eyes, but followed, trying not to look like he was running too. As we grabbed some food, I went and sat on a benchy-chair thing.

Crash sat next to me, feeding half of her chicken nuggets to Scourge. He wagged his little scythe tail happily. I released everyone else, who proceeded to steal the entirety of my food.

"Ah, fuck!" I went to go get more, but who should I bump into but... Dawn. She curled her lip at me. "Oh, it's you." I mocked her, drawing my lip in a sneer. "Yeah, me." She huffed, and prepared to march past me, until she saw Scourge. "Ew!" She shrieked.

"It's so gross and creepy!" I didn't have time to think of my actions; all I knew, is Scourge had the same look on his face I did when they said the same things about me in school. I pulled back to punch her, but Crash beat me to it. She launched herself at Dawn.

"Don't yah dare say anything about my Scourge!" She screamed, and kicked her. I just stormed off, angry as hell. I decided two things at this time. Apologizing to Dresden and Azrael, I made a call to professor Birch, asked him to send them to the Daycare, and sent them over. I then went to my PC, and picked two pokemon.

Szeren, and my Ninetales, Sachiko. I stored their pokeballs in my pocket, and, as I saw Harley attempting to break up Crash and Dawn, I signaled to him that I was going outside. He nodded, and pointed to Crash. _'You have anything to do with this?' _He asked me. I shook my head, and he sighed.I went outside. I gripped their pokeballs, fingers trembling. The both of them were from my Red game. (1)

Szeren. My best friend, my only friend, my partner. My beloved. But I released Chiko first. She materialized, sitting primly, nine tails curled at her paws. My voice cracked. I remembered that four-year-old excitement at finding her, and thinking that she was such a pretty pokemon.

"Hey, 'Chi-ko." I greeted her. She looked at me, with those endless, ancient eyes. "_Lucy_." She stood up, and padded towards me. "_I always knew I'd see you_." I laughed, knelt down, and hugged her. Standing up, I finally threw Szeren's pokeball.

The Charizard materialized in front of me, in all her glory. And this is what made me break down sobbing. The weight of everything that had happened until this point finally hit me like a truck. Szeren's great, mighty wings unfolded. And she drew me in gently, stroking my head with hers.

"Sssh, Lucy, it's alright... come here, come here..." I curled into her chest, and felt the warm fire in her heart. I decided it then. Pulling away, I stood up. I would kick her ass. I turned to them. "Ya coming?" They both smiled, and nodded.

Ten minutes later, I found my ragtag group. Harley hissed at me, "Where were you?! Your appeal is starting in five minutes!" I sighed.

"Yeah, yeah... I got Dawn?" He nodded. "Yeah, Crash had her first, but then she got that blond kid with the Mightyena. It was a pretty even appeal, but Scourge's flamethrower owned everyone." I nodded. Thinking of who to pick, I obviously chose Szeren.

I giggled, picturing her eat Buneary or Pachirisu. Sure enough, my appeal was in five minutes. I grinned at Harley as I grabbed Szeren's pokeball, and sprinted down the steps. Dawn was leaning against the wall. I spat at her.

"You'll pay for saying that shit about Scourge, bubblegum bitch." I snarled. She huffed. "Please. I've won _three_ ribbons already!" She said, tossing out Buneary. I looked at her, and grinned. "Honey, you'll have to do better than that." I threw out Szeren's pokeball.

"Cause three little ribbons can't save you now." Szeren roared, stretching her neck and wings, teeth gleaming in the harsh light. Dawn was stunned. So was the rest of the audience.

"Umm... Buneary, Ice Beam!" She charged it, as I rolled my eyes. "So, no challenges? Okay, Sze! Use Fire Spin!" She spewed out a ring of fire, flickering and twisting. Buneary's Ice Beam melted.

Dawn crumbled. Other than that, Buneary didn't have many powerful attacks. "Um..." She'd obviously never been in a situation like this before. "Buneary! Try High Jump Kick!" I rolled my eyes. Oh, I knew how this one worked.

"Szeren, just move aside." She hurred at me, and as Buneary flew out of the ring, and at her, she ducked. I was the only one to see her laughing, as Buneary sailed into the wall. She turned to me. "_Oh, what a nice surprise this was!" _

I nodded at her. "Finish it off... with, uh, whatever!" She shrugs, shakes her head, smiles, and uses a vicious flamethrower attack that left both Buneary and Dawn on fire. I look at this hysterical scenario, sit down, and laugh until I black out, surrounded by the smell of burning hair and the sound of my win being declared.

But it's different this time.

I see a court of Legendaries, seated like a giant round table, with a hollow in the middle. Really, like an arena. I see a Mew at the head. She seems to be arguing with a few Legendaries.

"_How could you, Maryx!" _A very old Heatran roars. "_Sending a human, and a pathetic one at that into our world, to save US! As if we needed saving!" _A few Legendaries mutter in agreement at this, and I blink.

"_Hey? Are you talking about me?" _But no one seems to hear me. I gasp softly. My Legendaries are there. "_Hiromi, this child has captured yourself and you kin. What say you?" _A Shaymin asks. Hiromi stretched his neck.

"_She is my friend. I am sure the others in her care would say the same." _He looks at them, and they all nod their agreement. I feel like kissing them. I have never been more proud. "_Go, Hiro, go!" _I cheer quietly.

A very grizzled Entei snorts. "_And your opinion matters?! You are third-rank Legends, to be _caught _like any other pokemon!" _Hiromi roars. "_And you claim to be better! You who lord it over the humans! Great Mew created these creatures to have them as companions to pokemon, not to be underlings!" _

The Entei roars, "_Has their behavior merited any other treatment?!" _Hiromi is prepared to attack, but Ichigo stops him. "_Not now, Hiro." _He hurrs angrily. Mew debates with the others for a time, but no one seems to reach an agreement.

The room seems to be split into a schism. Some are on Mew's side; some are on Entei's. But before I can hear more, I regain consciousness.

(1: Yeah, you can't get Ninetales in Red. I traded dear 'Chiko from Blue.)


	14. Super strong! Look out, Klaus!

( Okay, just to clear a bit up at the end; Levels won't be mentioned too much, but I did want to illustrate why Lucy keeps winning. Pokemon was her life on Earth; her pokemon are obviously going to be well-trained. Okay, I don't own pokemon. I own my friend Ryan's soul, though; five bucks, and now I can use it for voodeedoo! Thank you, Michelle, for the idea! Ever seen Neurotically Yours? You'll get it. Don't own nothin' but a soul, no, no...)

I woke up with another Ribbon on my chest, and in Harley's arms outside of the hall.

I decided then and there I _really _needed to pass out more often. "Lucy!" Harley shrieked, noticing my open eyes. However, his shock resulted in myself being dropped from his arms.

"Ow!" I yelped, feeling my ass connect with the dirt. "_Thanks_, Harley." He sighed. "Sorr-ee. Betch." I rolled my eyes.

"OMG shoez."(1). He quirked an eyebrow. "What?" I shook my head. "Nothing." I wasn't going into it with him, not today. I stood up, brushed myself off, and turned to Sachiko. She was giving me a look of understanding, and seemed to say, "You're gonna have to tell them."

I sighed, as we started off. As we walked, I noticed Crash had a paper in her hands, one she was observing intently.

"What's that, Crash?" I asked her. She jumped a good ten feet, and shrieked, "NOTHING! It's not a phone number!"

Harley's overprotective big brother sense immediately kicked into overdrive. "WHO GAVE THAT TO YOU!?" He shrieked, waving his arms for emphasis. I rolled my eyes as they fought. I walked over, snatched it out of Crash's hands, and read,

"_Hey Crash,_

_I was wondering if you could meet me in Lilycove, and show me that move you used to knock out Sorrow! Well, see you there! Call me!_

_345-343-1245_

_Mwah_,

_Faris."_

Harley's eye twitched. May and Drew shrunk back, freaked by this. I just sighed, knowing what was coming. Sure enough...

"JUST WHO THE _HELL_ IS FARIS!!?!" I giggled, as Crash explained, rather indignantly, that he was the boy with white-blonde hair at the Contest. I sighed, and called out Zero.

"Lift, please?" I pouted. He woofed, and licked me. "_Always_." I giggled, hugged him, and clambered on. Yelling down from him, I shrieked, "STOP!" Everyone looked at me, the girl yelling on top of an Arcanine. Best way to get people's attention. EVER.

"Okay, so. When I passed out, I kind of, um..." I explained what had happened; the court, Mew, and Hiromi and that old fart Entei's argument. Drew raised an eyebrow.

"What are 'Third-Class Legends' all about?" I shrugged. "I don't know. But it was meant as an insult, I can tell that much."

Max's eyes lit up. "Oooh, idea!" He explained, "Look, the Contest after this one in Lilycove is in Petalburg. We can meet up with Hiromi and the others. They were there, right?" I nodded. "Well, then they can explain this." He finished.

I nodded again, and then thought of something completely random; Ichigo and Hiromi had been holding hands. Claws. Whatever, it was still cute.

"Okay, it works." We decided not to head to Lilycove just yet; Crash wanted another pokemon. We headed across the bridge, and saw a bit of grassy clearing. Crash headed in. "How do I attract a goddamn pokemon?!" She yelled. I sweatdropped.

"Uh... dunno. Ask Scourge." She turned to him. "Help..." Scourge snickered. "Silly Crash. Call pokemon to you." She blinked. "Um... okay! Fine! YO! ZIGZAGOON!" She screamed.

Nothing came. "I guess they don't live here." She sighed. "Uh... damn." She searched around the area, saw nothing, and ran into the forest. "Crash! COME BACK!" Harley screeched, and chased after her. I sighed, and followed him. Zero padded after me, but not before he rolled his eyes at Sachiko, who just sighed.

Crash had headed in pretty deep. This seemed to be wild territory. She pricked her ears, knowing the danger. And as she did, she heard a screechy yowl of pain. She darted off towards the sound, ignoring Harley's shouts.

Scourge's scythe stiffened, ready to defend Crash. She didn't need defending; this Zangoose did. It appeared to be pretty fucked-up, probably from a fight. She squeaked in surprise and fear. Wild injured pokemon could be fierce.

Harley had called out Wigglytuff, and had him poised to fight the Zangoose. (A/N: I laughed so hard when I wrote that. Sorry, but come on. I don't care how aggressive he is. I mean, really; Wigglytuff?!) She rolled over, and blinked her good eye at us. The infected one appeared to be a milky white. "Crash!" I yelled. "Don't go up on her right! I think she's blind!" Crash nodded.

"Ah gotta catch her! We need to take her teh a pokemon center!" She yelled. I nodded. But then she did the stupidest thing ever. She got up right next to it, and knelt down. "CRASH!" Everyone screamed in unison. The Zangoose gave a soft hiss. Crash produced a pokeball.

"Hi. Ah'm Crash. Look, yer obviously hurt. Lemme catch ye, and bring ya to a pokemon center. They'll fix you up, and yeh kin be on yer way. Whaddaya say?" The Zangoose stared at us. Then, slowly, she nodded.

Crash grinned, and threw the ball. It sucked her up, shook once, and then stopped glowing. She grabbed it, and looked at me. "Everyone needs tah git on Zero." I looked at him. He nodded, and wagged his tail. "Okay." I sighed. "All aboard."

He sped off towards the pokemon center, as I gripped his fur to avoid falling off. I thought of the poor Zangoose. I knew they and Seviper hated each other, and my best guess was the poor thing had been attacked by one. We were at the pokemon center in a matter of minutes. Crash jumped off, and raced up to Nurse Joy.

"Hi, can you please save my pokemon?" Crash rushed. Nurse Joy took the pokeball. "See, we found her in the forest, and I think she's blind, and she got attacked, by a Seviper, maybe..." Crash wasn't making any sense. I explained to a bemused Nurse Joy.

"Well, can you fix this poor thing? Crash is right; she might be blind, but just in one eye." Nurse Joy nodded. "I see. Well, I'll do what I can..." We all elected to stay there, and wait for the Zangoose. I released everyone, and explained what had happened. Haushinka sighed.

"Poor unfortunate child." I thought of it, and agreed. As I relaxed, I noticed my pokemon, being rather rare or strange, were attracting stares. One boy with wavy brown hair came over to where I was sitting.

"Hey, cool. How'd you get a Charizard and a Charmander?" I looked him over, decided he wasn't evil, and said, "Sophonax is Szeren's kid." He nodded. "Cool. Where'd you get the Dragonair?" I shrugged. "Safari Zone." He nodded.

"I see. My name's Klaus Cohebria." I nodded. "Lucy Saxon, nice to meet you." He looked at all of my pokemon. "Would you be interested in a battle? My pokemon need the experience. And your little Charmander could use it, looks like." I looked at the others, waiting for Zangoose.

"Yeah, but let's go outside. I have to be near here for when Zangoose gets out." He nodded, and stepped out with me. "Okay! Go, Skyelar!" He threw out a pokeball. A Pidgeot soared out, wings extended. I nodded to Shuka-Rin.

"Go, Shuka-Rin! Use Thunderbolt!" "Aerial Ace!" I had a change of heart. "Wait until he gets close! Hit him then!" Shuka-Rin did so, shocking the Pidgeot on contact. I saw the Pidgeot stagger. "Quick, again! Thunder!" She charged up all her energy, and shocked the Pidgeot with what must've been about fifty thousand volts.

He fainted instantly. Klaus blinked. "Wow. Very powerful. What level..." He checked his pokedex. It bleeped back to him, "_Level 89'. _He gaped. "What the..." I recalled Shuka-Rin, and winced.

Except for Sophonax, most of my pokemon were in the nineties. About six years of training had left them like that. He gaped, and recalled his Pidgeot. "Oh, my god." He suddenly turned tail, and ran. I blinked. "Uh..."

"He must be new," Shuka-Rin reasoned. "He probably had one strong pokemon." I nodded. "Guess so, but he didn't have to run off." She shrugged. "He was a coward. Put him out of your mind."

I nodded, but still, something nagged at me. I put in my ipod to relax, and walked in. "Hey, Lucy. What happened?" Harley asked. I explained the fight, and the fiasco with Shuka-Rin. He blinked. "Eighty-nine?" I nodded.

"Check for yourself."

His pokedex beeped, and showed him the data. "_Ninetales. Level 91. Charizard. Level 93. Raichu. 89. Arcanine. 88. Charmander. 13. Dragonair. 87." _He gaped, but before he could ask more, Nurse Joy walked in. "I have news about Zangoose."

(Evil cliffie! Mwah! It kind of reminded me of a General Hospital episode; the ones my grandma watches, anyway. So; new chapter will be posted soon, to make up for lack of chapters this past weekend. Happy Halloween, people! Candy!

1: I love that freaking youtube video. I had to put it in.)


	15. Angry Authoress! Save Zangoose!

(Okay. Have been listening to Avenged Sevenfold album nonstop. Screw writing. Yeah, it's that good. They are far better than us pathetic morals could be at pretty much anything, EVER. XD

Okay. Now, to business. I have gotten a few flames on this, it being my most popular story. However, this new flamer is the worst, yet more in-depth than any flamer I've seen. In fact, I might've called it 'constructive criticism' but for the fact that s/he called me a 'bitch' and an 'arsewipe.' For starters; _MY _WORDS, YOU _**CUNT**_.

Okay, anyway. To read the damn story, scroll down. To read this angry rant, just well, keep reading.

Okay. Gonna pick this apart bit by bit.

For starters, I'd like to say, for once and for all, _**HAVING A TRAGIC PAST DOESN'T MAKE YOU A SUE. **_Handled properly. Lucy was a prostitute. And she was not a druggie, by the way; her parents were. See? No 'boo-hoo, poor me' BS. Simple sadness. You think this doesn't happen to people?

Then fuck you, and the horse you rode in on, you sanctimonious pricks. Next, Lucy's powerful pokemon. No SHIT. This girl had pretty much nothing else going for her; her pokemon would be powerful.

Next, Harley loves her. I'm at a loss for words with this. This dipshit bitch. It IS a fucking romance story, and compared with the cack I have read, this is a bit less romance-laden. Dumbass. Okay, now. This one has come up twice, so I will clear it once and for all.**_ I don't watch Dr. Who._**

So LEAVE ME ALONE. Okay... for all of you, my loyal reviewers, sorry about the curses. I do it often when I'm pissed. Heh... Okay.

_**LEAVE A SIGNED FLAME, YOU TWO-FACED SNOTS. **_

Because you know what? Bet you their stories are as awful as they claim others are. Words can't express how much I hate you right now, you cowardly c-nts. Finally, and I mean it this time...

_**EVERYTHING HAS BEEN DONE. EVERYTHING.**_

Yup. From Trainers, to Breeders, to Coordinators, I really don't think there are that many truly unique stories out there.

True, there are a few. But really, isn't it just the same thing we've read before, in a different region, different pokemon, different trainer, and so on?

Always either save the world, follow the GAME PLOT, or become number one. Jesus christ. And we admit it. Because theses sections can be written well.

Sometimes. And yeah, you know what? Every character needs to have a touch of the Sue in them. You know why? Because this isn't supposed to be reality rewritten. This is fucking fantasy, this is the kingdom I rule, and fuck you all who intrude and set it afire.

For everyone else who is sick of flames, and myself, pissed off Jersey Girl.

_**Lolita.**_

I don't own pokemon.

(Holy shit, that thing was a page long. Wow. I don't own pokemon.)

Nurse Joy sighed. "Well... your assumption was correct. She had been attacked by a Seviper. The posion blinded her in one eye. And as for her leg..." She gestured for us to follow her. We all saw the Zangoose, still on the operating table. I gasped softly at her leg.

It was ripped into shreds, and bone stuck out at a few corners. "My potions don't work. It's some new thing in the Seviper venom, I suppose." Crash looked the Zangoose up and down.

"Do you want to die?" She asked the Zangoose. The Zangoose opened a sleepy, bloodshot eye, and looked at her. Slowly, she shook her head. "Then help us. Fight the venom." She turned to Nurse Joy. "Keep trying. She wants to live." Nurse Joy sighed.

"There isn't anything I can do!" Crash sighed. "You got prosthetic legs?" Nurse Joy blinked. "Are you saying..." Crash nodded. "Yup. Amputate the limb. Replace the limb. Zangoose lives."

Nurse Joy stammered, "Well, I can't just _do _that! You'd have to take her in; with one leg, she'd never survive!" Crash turned to Zangoose again. "So. You hear what sheh says? Live, an' lose a leg. And ya get to come with us. You in? 'Cause if you're not, you're dead."

The Zangoose growled, pointed to the Translator around Zero's neck, and hissed. Crash sighed. "Right. Mind, Zero?" The Arcanine shook his head, always eager to please. Crash unfastened it, and wrapped the black box around the Zangoose's neck.

"_Human girl. I am Bane. You take my leg, do not take my hands. I go with you." _Crash sighed. "Tha' all yeh gonna saye?" The Zangoose hurred. "_No. I'd also like to say that you are a mouthy little brat." _As Crash yelled, "OI!", Bane laughed.

"_But I rather like you. Yes, I will do it. Go, now, she needs to begin." _We headed back out, and Harley immediately began yelling at Crash.

"Do you REALIZE the implications of taking on an injured pokemon! And like this! What is WRONG with you!?" He shrieked, his voice rising higher and higher with each pitch, until it resembled a human balloon, and everyone was staring at us.

Again.

Crash said, "Fine! I'll go to Lilycove! Faris says his mom's a nurse!" "HOW DO YOU KNOW THIS, YOUNG LADY?!" Harley screamed. Crash realized she was screwed. "Well... um, we had time to talk..." He snatched my bag. "Hey!" I hadn't wanted to get involved...

He flipped open my cell phone, and saw; "_TOMETHY, FARIS. LILYCOVE." _Under 'Recent Calls'. His eye twitched. "YOU WERE IN ON THIS!?" I stood up, and realized I was as tall as he was. A good inch or two taller, actually. I used this to my advantage, as I screamed and carried on. "THEY MAKE A CUTE COUPLE, OKAY?! SHUT UP!" He lost it.

"SHE'S TEN! TEN!!! SHE SHOULDN'T BE DATING!" I yelled back, "NOT WHAT I MEANT! IT'S JUST A FRIENDS—" Drew interrupted. "With benefits?" May and I both punched him. "Ow! Okay!"

Harley was forced into submission by a String Shot by Ariados. As he yelled and raved, I turned to Crash. "He is right. Sort of. Are you sure you want this responsibility?" Crash nodded. "I liked what I saw in her eyes." I was a bit surprised, but nodded. "Then give 'em hell." She grinned.

"Always." An hour was spent on that couch. I fell asleep after the first ten minutes of white noise. I was awoke a time later by Crash. "Dude! Look ah Bane!" The Zangoose... for lack of a better word, _pwned. _

The leg was steel, with wires and gadget thingies to make it move. She flexed it, and grinned. "_It will do. Thank you, Healer-Woman. We go?" _Crash nodded.

"We go." We waved goodbye to Nurse Joy, and finally, we were out of the pokemon center, and on our way. "Bane?" Crash said. "This is your brother, Scourge." She looked him over.

"_Hello, blessed shining pokemon." _Scourge brightened. I clicked my tongue, and gestured for everyone. "It's another three hours before the contest. Think we can make it?" Everyone cheered.

As we zoomed away on Szeren, I began to get dizzy. Damn vending machines. Before we were at the point no one on the ground could hear us, I screamed, "Fuckin' A, I'd give my left tit for a working teleporter!"

(Now, since this was so short... Hints of things to come.)

"_Please, god, don't shot her. She's just a kid."_

"_She can bring them over! She can merge the worlds! Make them perfect!"_

"_Third-Class Legendaries. We are lower than scum to them."_

"_I won't cry."_

"_It's okay, I love you anyway. You can't help who you're related to."_

"_You have power. How you use it is up to you."_


	16. Fire, jealousy, and dollface

(Myself, pissed off Jersey Girl.

_**Lolita.**_

I don't own pokemon. Oh, and Szeren is pronounced Sa-rin. Just to clarify.

Yeah, I figured I was being an immature prick when I wrote that flame reply. But you know, I'm not the most calm of people. Fuck with me, and I fuck you right back, okay? Sorry all of my loyal reviewers had to read that. But seriously, I can't stand when people flat-out lie about people's characters, call them Sues, yet their accusations are unfounded. So, sorry. But I'm not in the goddamn mood, ever, to hear shit like about my characters I work so hard on, and I am a psychopath. So, forget it.

(o,o)  
l)--)  
"" this is OWL. He eats Bunny. Stop Bunny from eating the world, and join Owl.)

I sighed, and leaned forward on Szeren's neck. Oh my god, this would be perfect... if May and Drew weren't arguing in the back. Dipshits. I turned and glared at the two of them. Bulbasaur and Squirtle were staring at their mistress, who was bright red. Drew had Roselia with her head in her... well, roses.

I screamed, "WOULD YOU SHUT UP!? I AM HAVING AN EMOTIONAL REUNION WITH A POKEMON I HAVE HAD SINCE I WAS THREE, SO SHUT THE FUCK UP AND LET ME TALK!!" (1) Everyone inched away in terror. I harrumphed, and scootched up Szeren's neck. I hugged her.

"Missed you so much, Sar-bear." I murmured. Strangely, yes, this was her nickname. I don't know why. Stop asking me. She purred.

"_I missed you too, Lucy. It was so boring, having no one to gamble with." _I giggled. "Remember when we bet on how long it'd take for Sachiko and Cicero to date?!" "_Oh, certainly! And the time we bet on how long it'd take for Vita to get drunk!?" _I giggled.

Knowing that this stuff had happened, that I wasn't crazy for dreaming it, soothed me. I turned to Drew. "How many more Contests until the Grand Festival?" He thought. "Umh. A few. This one in Lilycove, one in Petalburg, and about three or four others, at least." I thought.

"So maybe they'll have it around Christmas!" May squealed. "Christmas, yay!" I grinned. "Eggnog drunks... heh..." Max checked his pokenav. "Szeren, head down in about two minutes, okay? We're almost there." She growled, and nodded.

I sat with Sachiko on my lap. I was going to trade Sophonax, but for who? I thought. Even though two other people in our group had an Absol, I wanted mine. I loved them.

I thought. Dedriu, Nharen, or Bleak? I decided on Bleak. He was a kit, Nharen's and Dedriu's. And he was so cute already. As Szeren flew down, descending on Lilycove, May rushed to the Shopping Center, Drew right after her.

I suddenly had an idea. I handed Harley Sophonax's pokeball. "Harley, can you keep her for a second?" I rushed to the phone, and called Birch. "Is Demyx there?" Demyx was Szeren's mate. Birch nodded. "Good. I'm sending Sophonax to be with her daddy. Could you send me Bleak, please?" He nodded, and we switched pokeballs. I turned, and released Bleak.

"Oh my god, ABSOL!" I tackled him, and squealed. "Mommy!" He chirped. "Hi!" I hugged him tighter. "You. Are ADORABLE, OMG!" He blinked. "What's OMG mean?" I looked down.

"Don't ask. Come on, we're going to the Contest Hall!" As we walked in, Drew stopped short. "Soledad." I blinked. "Uh..." May and Drew both rushed up to her, and the three broke into a heated conversation. Harley, Max, and I all sighed. I turned to Max. "Hey, did you get your pokemon?" His face lit up. "Yeah, finally!"

He released a Linoone, a Grovyle, and his infamous Ralts, now a Kirlia. I observed them. "Coolness. Are you a Coordinator?" He displayed his badge case. "Nope! I have five badges." He announced proudly. Kirlia's voice resounded.

"_Because we got them." _ Max stuck his tongue out at her. "You're mean." She sighed. "_I try." _Crash was looking expectantly around for Faris, oblivious to all else. He strolled over, Sorrow following at his side. "Hey, Cassidy." We all stopped short.

_No one, absolutely __**no one, **__EVER called this kid Cassidy._

Harley grinned. "Oh, he's so dead." But Crash sauntered over to him, and grinned. "Hey, Faris. What's up?" Harley's eye twitched. "EXCUSE ME!?" He screeched. I shoved Max near Soledad, and waved to my pokemon. This was gonna get ugly.

"YOU HAVE SOME GODDAMN NERVE! SHE DOESN'T EVEN LET _ME _CALL HER CASSIDY, AND I AM HER GODDAMN BROTHER!! WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG—" The announcer's voice echoed,

"_All Coordinators, please proceed to the hall for the start of the Contest!"_

Harley growled, "I'll settle this later." Crash went off with Faris, while we proceeded to the hall. I sighed. Sure enough, Harley went on one of his big-brother rants. Like those worked. You could tell, _totally._

"I don't BELIEVE him! He's, just, you know, like, evil. Or something." I turned to Harley. "Please shut up, hon. No one cares." He stuck his tongue out at me, and then proceeded to resume ranting angrily. I turned to Ariados. "String Shot, please." He shot out a thread of silk, wrapping it around Harley's mouth. "God bless you." I groaned. Bleak grinned.

"Harley gets what Harley deserves." I grinned. "Good boy, Bleak." He purred. I sat down near the front, and listened to the cheers of the crowd. I saw May go out first, with Squirtle, who used Rain Dance, (Szeren was a bit pissy at this), and then a lovely Hydro Pump.

"See, there's someone who knows how to handle water pokemon." I grumped, still annoyed at Dawn. Soledad watched me with interest. "Oh, you must be Lucy Saxon that May mentioned? Nice to meet you." I nodded.

"_No relation to the Master's wife."_ She looked confused, and I remembered they didn't have _Dr. Who_ in Hoenn. I sighed. "Never mind. Nice to meet you too. Will you be using Butterfree?" I loved her Butterfree; it was so beautiful. And deadly. And squishable.

She smiled. "I figure. What will you use?" I nodded at Sachiko. "She'll be my Appeal. Her name's Sachiko. I think my Absol, Bleak, will be my Battle Appeal." She nodded. "I see. Well." She seemed to be deep in thought, so I let her be. Szeren and I passed the time by playing gin rummy with my Tarot cards. Hey, I was bored.

They passed about five more appeals, when Soledad nudged my arm. "Hey, Crash's up." I sat up, and watched. "Bane!" She screamed. "Shadow Claw!" She nodded at Crash, and her left arm began to glow menacingly, and a gigantic purple aura began to tighten itself over her arm, looking like a larger-than-life version of her arm.

She slashed upwards, and the claw split into a million little pieces, each with it's own color. But she wasn't done. The blinking little shadow lights began to dance around her, whirling tighter and tighter, until she was completely covered in shadows. With a wave of Crash's hand, these little particles were dispelled.

Everyone was stunned. "Did you know Bane could do that?" Drew muttered. I blinked. "Um, _**no." **_Harley was a bit more rational. I know, big surprise. "Well, Bane was training long before she met Crash. And she must've just manipulated that attack a bit." I sighed.

"Shut up, you're killing the moment." He glared at me, hair falling in his face. I giggled. "Aw, you look like such a cute little idiot..." He growled something unintelligible at me, and looked away. "Dork." I told him, but what would've been a damn good pissing contest was interrupted by his Appeal.

Still glaring at me, he headed down the steps like a model on the catwalk, hips swinging and everything. Sachiko's tails curled around my mouth. "_It is hysterical. Don't laugh." _She warned me. Keeping a straight face. I know.

He threw out Octillery's pokeball, and yelled, "Fire Blast!" I sat up. Oh, yeah! Harley's Octillery knew Fire Blast! He sucked in a breath, and exhaled deeply. The flame shot out in five pillars of fire. As everyone cheered, (it was an amazing appeal...), he signaled for everyone to stop clapping.

And then he turned to me. "OH! WHAT _NOW_, BITCH!?" He yelled in triumph. I turned bright red. That bastard was _so dead. _Sachiko giggled for a minute, then saw my face and shut up. He flounced up the steps.

"Oh? Did you like it, dears?" He purred. I was about to tackle him, until they called "Lucida Saxon, you're up!" I growled at him. He blew me a kiss.

"Luck, dollface." I almost fainted. _"Dollface?!"_ I hissed to Sachiko. "Ya, awww..." She mocked. In uffish thought (2), I stood, ready to fucking kill the next person who called me dollface.

"Sachiko! Fire Spin!" I shreed over the cheers. She sat down. Her nine tails began to swoosh around her, swirling faster and faster—

Then they were living flames, rising and crackling over her back. I gasped. "Sachiko!" I screamed in fear, but she evidently knew what she was doing. The nine tails of flame had begun to swirl around her, twirling faster and faster, until she was completely surrounded by a giant spiral of flame, flickering and burning brighter than I had ever seen a flame go. I could do nothing but stare in amazement at the sight. The fire seemed to be begging me to touch it.

So who could blame me for answering the call?

I strode over slowly, only aware of the flames calling, not aware of screaming... Harley was screaming...

I reached the flames, and pressed my palm upon them. Sachiko instantly killed the flames. "_No." _I whispered, crying a bit. '_Bye-bye, Lucy.' _They called. I waved gently.

"Bye-bye, flames." Sachiko was smart; by cutting the flame, she made this whole thing look like it was planned. "Thanks, 'Chiko." I whispered. She nuzzled me as we walked back up. "_Okay. But don't do that again. You scared me." _I shook my head. "Okay, I won't."

I was lying, and we both knew it. But it didn't matter.

(1: Oh my god, I said this when I was ten, and got FireRed. Heh. 2: Uffish thought is a twist on a poem from Lewis Carroll, whom I adore. He's just an amazing writer.)


	17. It WAS the Lovecats!

(Don't own pokemon, don't sue. I like toast. Damn toaster... not working.)

The first words Harley said to me after that battle, in which I had clearly shown all the classic signs of both pyromania and insanity;

"Are you okay_, dollface_?"

My green eye widened, and my black eye narrowed threateningly. Bitch must _die. _Drew giggled. "After I get him, you're next." I warned him. He squeaked, and hid behind May. He grinned a bit sheepishly. "Well, at least you're not wearing a skirt."

Max retaliated this time; "Grovie! Leaf Blade!" I giggled at Grovyle's nickname, and turned to Harley. "...And there's my cue to appeal, good luck with the lovebirds!" Soledad rushed off.

I grabbed my Ipod for an instant, as Soledad's comment had gotten me thinking. Harley saw this as his cue to run, but I grabbed him by the scruff of his neck. "You're staying here! Okay... I was right! It's The Love_cats_, stupid!"(1)

Harley was frozen in terror. "Are you gonna eat me?" I turned him around, and saw he had a perverted grin on his face, knowing it would probably be his undoing. My eye twitched again. Alright, that was it. Fuck the death penalty.

"DIE, BITCH!" I tackled him, and began to beat him with my shoe. Imagine that. Harley, the great Coordinator, champion of Slateport. Getting his ass pwned by a shoe-toting psychopath.

Good times, good times.

Harley was squealing like a girl when Soledad walked back up. "...Um, would it be rude to inform you all that the battle appeals are starting?" I shook my head. "No, we're done." Harley was still in the corner, twitching. May sighed. "Oh my god, I really don't believe this is who I hang out with. Really." Eevee chirruped in agreement.

"See?" She said in triumph, as we started down to see the matchups. "Even Eevee thinks you're crazy." I petted Eevee. "No, she thinks Harley's crazy. I'm perfectly normal." Max blinked.

"Um, you just beat Harley with a shoe." I grumbled, "He started it." Everyone sighed. "Group headslap?" Drew offered. "Hell yeah." I growled in their general direction, and headed down.

"May with Brendon, Drew with Damion, Harley with Silver, and I'm going with Soledad." I didn't process this information until Soledad said it. "Aw, MAN!" I yelled. Soledad was powerful. I knew it. But, on the bright side, I could squish Butterfree if things got bad.

"Um, Lucy?" I looked down. Bleak had seen the results. "If you want, you can send Szeren or Sachiko to fight... I know I'm not really strong..." My heart went out to him. "Bleak, it's okay. I already have three ribbons. It doesn't matter." I grinned. "Besides, you have to get stronger, right?" He nodded, and cheered up. "Yup!"

I nodded at him, and smiled. We were ready... except we had about five appeals to go through. Harley and Silver were first. She was so close to beating him with her Rotom, but Harley used Wigglytuff. And Wigglytuff is a sociopath who had no problem Shadow Ball-ing the Rotom into oblivion.

Bleak thought it was funny, but Silver did not. Obviously. Drew fought Brendon next, a rookie Coordinator, who had absolutely no idea what he was getting into. Drew pwned him in about a minute. I saw the dejected look on Brendon's face, and noticed he'd gone up against Roselia with a Marshtomp. And expected to win.

I sighed. "I am SO bored." I announced to no one in particular. Szeren sighed. "_Deal. It's not the end of the world, huh? We're up in two turns." _I grumbled. "Bleah." I put my Ipod in, and soon enough, had tuned out the entire world.

"Lucy? Lucy, it's your appeal now." Harley said. I wasn't listening. "_This shining city built of gold..."_ (2) I sang. He yanked the earbuds out. I glared at him. "Gimme!" He stuck his tongue out. "Go appeal! Or no iPod!" I kicked him on my way down, Bleak at my side. He made sure I was gone, and then put the earbuds in. He scrolled through until a small smile appeared on his face. "_King for a day, princess by dawn... king for a day, in a leather thong...' _(3)

Yeah, it was a good song.

Soledad saw me, and smiled. "Good luck!" I was a bit startled. "You, too." I said finally. She threw out her pokeball. "Go, Lapras!" I winced. "Aw, crap. Bleak!" He bounded out like the young kit he was. I immediately remembered his TM moves. "Bleak! Lock On! Then Thunder!" "Sheer Cold!" Soledad ordered Lapras. Bleak looked scared. "Defense Curl!" I told him. He looked at me, and curled into a furry white ball. Aw.

But now wasn't the time. As Soledad's attack hit him, he grit his fangs and endured. I winced. "Bleak, are you ready?!" He got up, and nodded. "Like I told you before!" He blinked, and I saw his eyes go white for a second, searching. The he began to glow ochre.

The lightning shot out of him in waves, each hitting Lapras. "Sheer Cold, again!" Soledad ordered her. She shook herself off, obviously weakened, and used it again. Instantly, I knew I was going to lose. I couldn't survive Sheer Cold again.

I felt nothing but sadness for poor Bleak; this loss would hit him hard. But he saw my knowledge, and his eyes hardened. "AB-SOOOLL!" He roared. A bigger burst of electricity that made the one from before look like crap soared out of his body. I watched in shock, as the two attacks met, and all I could see was smoke.

When it cleared, I saw both Bleak and Lapras down. "This match is a draw." The announcer announced in a monotone. I gaped. "Bleak!" I ran to his side, legs pumping to save my baby. He looked up at me, and grinned. "_Well? I did good, right?" _I grinned back at him.

"You were wonderful, babyluv. I couldn't have asked for anything better." He purred, as I picked him up. Soledad came over. "You were great!" She enthused.

"I can't believe this ended in a draw! And on your first time against me!" I nodded. "Thank you." She followed me up. Harley was still listening to my ipod. He saw me and Soledad, and shrugged.

"She was right, Soledad. It was the Lovecats." I felt like killing him. Asshole. He grinned wickedly. "And this means I have a shot at winning a ribbon. Oh yeah!" I yanked my ipod's earbuds out, and kicked him. "I'm going to share with MAY because she's NICE!" I shouted. People, noticing how fucking loud I was, were beginning to stare. Aw, man. Again?

Harley sniggered, as they announced his name again. "Bye-bye, _dollface_. 'Til I win again." MY eye twitched. That was it. "Szeren!" I hissed quietly. "Flamethrower!"

She waited until he was halfway down the steps. I snuck behind him, and nodded to her. She opened her mouth, let out a slim jet of flame, starting on the hem of his pants. Giggling like the sociopathic fuck I was, I turned and headed back upstairs.

I put in my ipod, and ignored his Appeal until I heard the screams. "LUCY, YOU BITCH!!" He shrieked. Giggling quietly, I turned to Sachiko. "Up for another game of poker?" She grinned. "You're on."

( 1: The Lovecats is an amazing song by The Cure. Robert Smith is god. Suck it. XD

2: 'This shining city...' Is from 'Beast and The Harlot', an Avenged Sevenfold song.

3: And finally, 'King for a Day' by Green Day. It's Harley's SONG.)


	18. Brendan Birch! He's not a jerk, dammit!

(Don't own, don't sue. I wrote this; it is NOT Satoshi Tajir-something-or-other's! MINE, BITCH!!

Styx: Well, when she curses, at least she uses proper grammar.)

As we headed out of the Contest Hall, a triumphantly smoking and singed Harley was holding up his ribbon for all to see. "Oh yeah! Pwned, bitch!" He cheered. I pointed to his clothes. "I wouldn't talk." He waved his hands.

"Oh, shut up! Besides, we have to get to Petalburg!" Just before I called out Szeren, I looked around. "Where's Crash?" The pint-sized hellion had disappeared. "Crash!" Harley screamed. I had a sinking feeling I knew where she was, and I knew Harley wouldn't like it.

Sure enough, she strolled out with Faris at her side. Harley's eyes widened slightly. "Harley? Can I talk to you?" Crash said softly. I saw the tears in his eyes, and it took all the willpower I had not to hold him and let him cry. "Yeah, I guess." He whispered. She went with him to where he was just out of earshot for even the pokemon.

_-Crash's POV-_

I knew I had to go with Faris. He was nice, kind, polite, and he was a friend. I loved Harley, but this was _my _pokemon journey, not his. He looked at me. "Well?" My heart broke a bit. He looked so hurt. "Please, Crash, don't go. I don't want you to get hurt..." The realization hit me; he was scared for me. He didn't really hate Faris, he just wanted to keep me with him.

"Harley. Big brother, ya know I love you. But I've made a friend. An' I want to go wit' him. Please. Please, please, don't be mad at me. I love you, Harley." He looked away. I continued.

"An' I'll have Bane and Scourge to protect me. An' Faris has Sorrow, and... Well..." He turned to me. He was crying. "Please, Crash. I'll miss you." I hugged him. "I'll miss you too. But I have to make me own way in the world. Yer my big brother, and ye'll always be my big brother, but I can't rely on ya forever." He burst into tears.

"I love you, Crash!" He hugged me, and sniffed. "I can't stop you. I never could. Just be careful. And remember we love you." I looked up at him. "Aren't I always?" He dried his eyes on his sleeve. "No." I couldn't help but smile.

"Bye, Harley." He grinned shakily. "Bye, Cassidy." My eyes shot open. "Once Ah'm a Master, ye'll pay for that." He nodded, as we walked back to the others. "I figured." As I turned to Faris, and said, "Let's go," I felt my adventure was only going to get better. And they sent me off in style;

"GIVE 'EM HELL, YA BRAT!" Everyone screamed. I stuck my tongue out, and ran after Faris. "Wait up, you asshole! Ah have shorter legs!"

_-Lucy's POV- _

Harley surprised me by being very calm. Hell, if I had had a sister, and she'd gone off like that, I would've killed her. But I think he knew she was strong. I had to give him props for that. As we climbed on Szeren, the atmosphere felt strangely empty.

"Well, it's settled. We need to kidnap a ten-year-old, and take them with us." Drew said matter-of-factly. I rolled my eyes. "Um, Drew. That's called _illegal."_ He shrugged. "You got a better idea?" I sighed. "Well, we can't kidnap them!" Max waved his arms in a frenzy.

"What about ME?!" Kirlia reminded him, "_We are going to challenge Winona, remember?" _He thought for a second. "Oh, right." Drew sighed. "SEE!?" I rolled over, and glared at him.

"You want to bring a kid with us, get May pregnant, for Christ's sake." Those were the magic words. It shut the both of them up in a stupor.

I giggled, and curled up on Szeren's back until we arrived in Littleroot. "Professor!" I yelled, jumping off Szeren. "PROFESSOR!" I screamed again. He was out in the field, intently studying a pack of Poochyena. I always liked them. He looked up.

"Oh, hello Lucy! A contest nearby?" I nodded. "Yeah. But I need to talk to my pokemon." He nodded. "I see. They're in the lab." I nodded. "Thank you, professor!" I bounded inside. "HIROMI!" I screeched. He was asleep, his tail draped over Ichigo. "Aw."

I whispered, and then woke him up. I whistled into his little ear-stem thing. He jumped about ten feet in the air. "Lucy!" He hurred with pleasure, seeing me. "Hi, Hiromi!" I ran my hand down his scales, feeling the cool warmth of them.

"Hiro, um... I passed out again, and I saw... Well, you guys. And a bunch of other Legendaries. They ripped into you guys pretty bad. One of them called you a 'Third-Class Legendary'. What was that all about, Hiro-Hiro?"

He opened his mouth, but then, someone burst in. "I had to feed them! CRAP! Dad's gonna kill me!" A boy with black hair shrieked. I blinked. "Um, hi?" He sized me up. "Oh, you must be Lucy. These are your pokemon?" I nodded. He nodded.

"Right! Hiromi's become a good friend of mine. I'm Brendan Birch." I blinked. "Oh, wow. Um, hi. I didn't know you had black hair." Because I could NOT get any stupider that day. He chuffed.

"Oh my god, don't worry, I get that all the time. My own parents forget I have black hair sometimes. Dad explained all of this to me. Are you seriously from another... you know, world?" I sighed.

"Yup. And in my world, you get very little screentime." He blinked. "I get what?" I shook my head. "It's nothing. Here, you can stay. I have to ask them something." He nods, and yells, "Come on in, guys!" About a good thirty-five Legendaries rush in through the door. I blink, as my Shaymin settles herself on my lap. I look down, and grin.

"_Ch-ch-ch-chia, bitches." _I whisper. Seraphia looks up at me. "_What?" _I shake my head. "Nothing." Saorise is bedecked in a vintage Ramones T-shirt. How the hell? ...I decide not to ask. The eyeliner-look is funny enough, but a green punker pokemon is just priceless.

She smiles, and settles next to Seraphia. Grass types gotta stick together. I observe the fact that Birch's lab is barely big enough to hold all these little psychos. I shrug, and glance at Hiromi, now with Brendan on his head. "Explanation, please?" He sighs, and begins.

"_Well, you caught us. We... actually, _they_, the Heavenly Council know _exactly _how it is on Earth. Some pokemon stay on the Heavenly Council; they're usually the first created, or direct descendents of the first. We, however, are sent to Earth to be caught. As if it is a punishment."_

He snorts derisively, and runs his tail over my head affectionately. He reminded me of Drew so much right then, with the arrogant smirk, it scared me. I smile. "_The Legendaries are categorized into three categories, classes, if you will. First Class Legendaries are the originals. They are the heads of the council, usually. Second-Class Legendaries are usually direct descendants, or just those who have never been caught by a human." _I prompt him on. "And Third-Class?"

His eyes take on a faraway quality. _"Ah... us. Third-Class Legendaries. We are lower than scum to them. We are the pokemon they send to be guardians of the children who set foot into our world. We can be caught, like the most common of pokemon." _

He bows his head in grief, as do the others. I want to tell him it's not true. "Hiromi! Even in the _game, _you guys are one-of-a-kind!" He turns his great, wise head to me.

"_I see. And just _how _many_ _copies of these games are there?" _I stop. He's right, I know he is. But I don't care.

"I love you in the same way." I tell him. He fixates on me. His hazel cat's-eyes eyes glint with pride. "_Vita was right. You really are a child no longer." _I blink. "What do you mean?"

He raised his head. "_I mean you're worth more than you know. And though you must not know now, you will be a part of the turning of this entire world." _

Haushinka hums. "I told you." I roll my eyes. "You really know how to kill a moment." She stretches. "Always."


	19. Filler Angry Teams

(Because I needed an explanation to why we didn't see Mars, Saturn, or Jupiter around, there's gonna be a few of my OT Subcommanders in here. Expect more of them in a future story, _The Coroner's Daughter. _

And yes, I support Jupiter/Mars. It is now, henceforth, and forever to be known as _Planetshipping_. Because I said so. And for Giovanni's assumption Lucy was ten, in the games, you are. Even though she was three, then about eight, he sees her as ten and thirteen-ish. It makes sense if you think about it. If not, sense sucks.

Again for the Rockets, as much as I love them, well... I got REALLY squicked writing Giovanni's last line. Ew. Don't own!)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As we played tag team chicken with our flying types, we were just having fun. A good time. But what not one of knew, is that each and every leader was now out for my blood. And a grand old time was had by all. Sonsabitches.

_-Team Galactic Headquarters, third person POV-_

Cyrus laid back in his chair, and sighed. Saturn had dispatched Pluto, Neptune, and Venus out to Hoenn to find this girl. But he wasn't involved quite yet. He knew this girl was incredibly powerful; when he had caught Mesprit, Uxie, and Azelf to make the Red Chain, they told him.

"_Sir, we really don't know anything, we're clueless, please—agh!" Uxie had been shocked from within the tube. "Don't hurt my brother!" Mesprit chirped hysterically. Cyrus' face was emotionless. "Then tell me." Azelf said nothing, made no sign of reacting, just sat there. _

_Willpower, indeed, to watch your brother hurt, and your sister cry. But he knew that anything they said would make their time more miserable, to know the pain of betrayal. "She... she'll powerfu... very... she..." Uxie was hazy from pain. Cyrus made his hand toward the button, but restrained himself. Wait a bit longer. If not, blast this thing into oblivion._

"_She's... her name's _Lucy. _She can... she's from another world. She can bring others... here... Open space, open time..." Mesprit and Azelf were almost SURE Uxie was at least exaggerating. The kid couldn't open space and time. _

_But it was the magic words to a man obsessed. His eyes snapped open. "Tell me! Who is she!? Is she here?!" But Uxie knew his duty, and kept his mouth shut. Cyrus frowned. "Very well. I'll find out eventually." And with that, he strode out of the room, with a new bit of information to add to his plan._

A shadow of a smirk danced on his lips. Indeed, that had been fun. Poor, poor Mesprit. She felt all the pain of herself, and both her brothers, as well. But now he had the Red Chain.

It thrummed and moved in his hands, a neverending thing of perfection. He began to laugh quietly to himself, in mere humor, not pure evil. It was still hauntingly mad, all the same.

His thoughts were interrupted by a banging on the door. He rose, sighed, and was met by a duo compromised of a sweaty and exhausted looking Mars and Jupiter. He raised an eyebrow.

He would've assumed it was from training, but for two facts; one, Mar's hair was undone and messy, with no jelled spike, as Jupiter's was pulled from her buns. Two, the both of them had on each other's clothes. Backwards.

"Boss! We, uh, well, we got word from Pluto—she's in Hoenn!" Mars rushed excitedly. Cyrus nodded. "I see. Exact whereabouts?" Mars was about to answer, but Jupiter cut in. "Sir, she's traveling constantly. We think she'll be in Petalburg, for a time." Cyrus nodded. "I see. Did Pluto get any info on who she was traveling _with?" _

Mars glared at Jupiter, and rushed to say, "A bunch of _kids_." She said this with a sneer, like _ten_ year olds did NOT go on journeys in her region all the time. "Harley Davidson, Drew Rosalind, and May and Max Maple. Except for Max, they're all—"

Jupiter shoved her out of the way. "Coordinators! They're traveling around for Contests! If you check the schedule, we can figure out where she's headed next!" She shrieked, waving her arms around. Cyrus smiled, as Mars tackled the poor woman.

"BITCH! I was gonna tell him!" She shrieked, kicking Jupiter. "Skuntank! KILL!" Jupiter shrieked madly. As Mars was chased down the hall by an irate Skuntank, Cyrus shook his head.

"Well, you know what they say... sex and death are intertwined."

-_Team Rocket's POV, third person-_

Giovanni stroked his Persian thoughtfully. Was it worth the journey across two regions to find this girl? Yes, it was.

Because vaguely, he seemed to remember a small child, about ten... the one who'd brought down his entire organization. In both Kanto and Johto. It'd forced him to retire for a time, at least. And reports were surfacing this girl had a Charizard, just like the one from before.

What had been her name...?

_Lucy. _He remembered in a flash.

It was Lucy who'd brought down Team Rocket; as he recalled, she had been a ten year old, then about thirteen, eyes smoldering with a fire the likes of which he'd never seen on a child that small.

And she was in control of the great fire dragon, Charizard. It had been a guardian to that child, a mother, most likely. She was protecting the child still, eh? The child who'd come to this world...

His world...

Giovanni's thoughts were interrupted by Butch and Cassidy bursting in. "Boss! BOSS!" Cassidy shrieked. "We found the kid! She's in Hoenn!" Giovanni nodded. "Boss, she's gonna be in Petalburg, I heard. We gonna find her?" Butch asked. Giovanni leaned back, and looked up.

Find this girl?

He began to laugh, high, cold, and a bit more than _rather_ insane.

"Find this girl!? The girl who has brought down my _entire organization, _not only once, but _TWICE?!_" He glowered at them, hate brimming over out of his eyes.

"No. Hunt her down. Like an_ animal_. If she can do what the rumors say, I want this girl brought to me, regardless of consequences."

Cassidy bowed. "But, but, Boss! She's got people traveling with her!" Giovanni waved a hand.

"Who?" Butch recited, "Harley Davidson, Max and May Maple, and Drew Rosalind." Giovanni processed this, and nodded.

"So then. Kill them, isn't it obvious?" They both bowed. "Right, Boss! We'll send Bonnie and Clyde back on their trail right away!" He nodded. "Damn right you will. Send Annie and Oakley too; you may go, if you wish."

As they rushed out to alert the group of their immediate departure, Giovanni smirked.

_She's about... fifteen, supposedly?_

Nice. A tight little virgin on his hands.

-_Team Magma and Aqua's POV, Third Person-_

Archie made a few adjustments on the machine keeping the gigantic Kyogre in place. "Well, Maxie?" He asked in a rough voice. "We workin' together, or what?" Maxie sighed, and rolled an eye over the scene; water, water everywhere. He shivered in disgust, but nodded.

"Yes. We went the wrong way last time. And now... if they fight, well..."

According to Teams Galactic and Rocket, there was a rather big fuss over a girl called Lucy.

They said she had a Charizard, which they weren't sure of, but she had an Absol, a Dragonair, and an Arcanine, just like from before. They both thought it was the same one, from before.

The girl that had tamed Rayquaza, and calmed Kyogre and Groudon. "And if she's done it before..." Archie said out loud. Maxie finished for him.

"...then she'll do it again. And she can put them under her command, make them do whatever she... well, _we _want." Archie smirked. "And reports say she's in Hoenn. So we've got a head start on the other groups."

Maxie looked interested. "How did word of her get out?" Archie sniggered. "Well, this kid, Klaus Cohebria or something, fought her. He was spooked by her high-level pokemon, and ran off at the mouth to the first person he saw. Word gets around."

Maxie nodded. "I see. Shall we begin dispatch?" Archie nodded. "Absolutely."


	20. Betrayal! Overreaction, and Kidnappings!

(Because I felt like a love triangle. For the love of Christ, don't kill me. Um... Oh, right! For everyone else who thinks this, but Flameboo addressed it, Lucy has no 'Speshal OMG!11!!' destiny. I don't have the attention span to write that.

Cyrus is fueled by rumors that she can open space and time. She can't. She got brought through, but it wasn't her doing. As for who did it, you'll find out who and why later. Archie, Maxie, and Giovanni all are fueled by the fact that they think this is the same girl who brought them down. Well, it was, but...

I dunno where it's going, but she's in no way overly special. This is a slightly average trainer story. But, it's my writing, so I'll mess up the average part, quick as fuck. Don't own! And anyone I didn't reply to if you PMed me, so sorry. I just cleaned out my inbox. If you wanna talk, my email's better; Okay?)

I looked up at the sky, as we saddled up our bags. I noticed stuff with '_Brendan' _embroidered on it was with our stuff. He and Harley had gotten along _fab._

Yes, FAB. Because Harley made it so. Or so he claims. They'd both been obsessed with the making of ridiculously elaborate clothing, and the importance of lip gloss _after _lipstick. I sighed, and threw my bags on Zero. I had done a complete overhaul of my team.

Yes, again. I could never keep a team together. I always wanted more pokemon, more types to try, more things to see, more abilities to use.

I kept Bleak, Szeren, Zero, and Sachiko. Shuka-Rin and Haushinka were staying with their respective mates, Liamnh and Kazekiru.

I decided to leave my last two slots open. I figured I could catch a pokemon or two if I came along across one. As I thought of what to catch, Zero nudged me, signaling it was time to get the hell out of here. I nodded, and yelled for the others.

We were gonna split up once we were in Petalburg; Max was off for Fortree, and Brendan was unsure about whether or not he should partake in Gym battles to get to the League this year. And so we were off. Hiromi had given me a book on the Legendaries, and their classes. It was written by a Third-Class, who knew quite a bit of how humans worked with the pokemon. I read the first explanation on it.

Apparently, they were well aware of Gameshark and Action Replay. I winced. Quite a few of my pokemon were sharks.

_First Class: Mainly composed of the first few. The originals of each Legend, so at least one of every Legendary. Then, quite a few Mew's are on this class. They're the hardest to catch, even with The Gameshark. Be aware that we are perfectly aware of everything that goes on in their world. And Celebi and Arceus are plenty on this class, obviously. A few Darkrai and Shaymin are on this class, but many more are either Second or Third Class, because if you use an AR, you can catch them easily. _

_Many more first-gen, like __Kanto__, are on this class. You're more likely to see an Articuno on the High Council than a Cresselia. Bloodlines and generations also come into account. They would pass over an Uxie with a higher bloodline, (i.e., closer in descent to an original), and take a Moltres with 'lower-class blood'. _

_Second Class: These are the pokemon who've been rejected for_

_First-Class. Most are. Shaymin and Darkrai are somewhere in between this category._

_Many other pokemon on here are pokemon like Manaphy, Rotom, and Phione, who aren't QUITE Legendary, but hard-to-get. Second-Class is where quite a few pokemon are situated. _

_And remember the Raikou, Entei, Suicune, Latias/os, and Mesprit/Cresselia that evade your capture? The ones that aren't caught, or never were pursued, are on here. This is for lower-class bloodlines, or later-made pokemon, who might have high bloodlines and abilities, but are in the Sinnoh or Hoenn regions. They're sympathetic towards humans, but paranoid of losing their 'status', so to speak, and refuse to back them up or be caught by them on most occasions._

_Third Class: It's pretty much Legendaries that have 'fallen out of grace', and been placed in the games to be caught. Some pokemon with genders, like Heatran and Latias and Latios in-game, are placed here; to them, humans must never know your gender. Any Legendaries that have been glitched, or have very low blood, are also placed here. It's basically as low as you can get. The pokemon here are often sad or angry with humans. But a few are sympathetic. _

I sighed. So my pokemon were in the minority. Great. That Entei was probably going to have me whacked, or something. I kept reading intently as we sped off to Petalburg. It was a short trip, but I was a fast reader.

The Shaymin who had written this, (which interested me... they lacked hands, last time I checked...) was a Third Class who adored her Trainer, and was angry at the way Third Classes were treated.

'_And is it because of who we are in nature, that we chose to consort with humanity, to find a worthy trainer, would this be lauded in the time where we once lived amongst all, instead of far in the heavens, lording it over pokemon and human alike! There are pokemon much happier now that they are with a human! Yet we are told we are bad, we are wrong, we are filthy, all for choosing to be with a human! Why is it this way?!' _

I didn't have an answer to that question, but I noted this Shaymin had a trainer. And maybe I could find that trainer...

It never occurred to me I might be able to see people playing IN GAME. Would it be possible to connect with this trainer and their Shaymin?

As we reached Petalburg, I took in the sights, and the trainers. Brendan spotted someone he, May, and I all knew. "WALLY!" He yelled, waving his arms like an idiot. "WALLY!!" I stared. The scrawny kid from the game was striding toward us, looking a lot less scrawny, about three years older, and was dressed a lot better.

"Oh my god, I missed you so much!" Brendan squealed, tackling him. I noticed Harley looked a bit jealous. It occurred to me then that Harley might have a crush on Brendan. He certainly looked like he did.

I wanted to die. "_Well, really? Did you expect him to like you?' _A nasty little voice in my head whispered. I ignored it.

It didn't matter to me, really. Harley wasn't going to like me in the first place; I had way too many issues. _Really_. But it didn't make me feel better.

I decided to talk to Szeren; she had been my confidant then, and she would be my confidant now.

"Sze?" I whispered. She saw the look on my face, and gestured to the pond by the gym. "_Come on, luv." _She and I snuck over quickly. The first words out of her mouth were,

"_Sweetie, I'm so sorry." _I didn't say anything for a second. Then I opened my mouth, and my voice surprised myself.

"I don't care. I never loved him." She looked surprised. "_But, you... Lucy, don't, I'm sure he doesn't—" _I turn to her. And then I scream.

"_But no one ever cared! _Why should _he_ be the one_?!" _I turn away, and storm off. She's calling after me, but I don't care. I just wanna run. Anywhere is better than here.


	21. Blood getting cold on the ground

(Long ass chapter. Because I love you all, and because Galbinus-Rayquaza's fics are really long. And I felt pwned. Anyways, two warnings; I did this without spellcheck, it's not working. Two, there's a slight description of rape. Should I bring up the rating? Nothing's actually described, but it's kinda implied. Just warning you now. Okay, I don't own pokemon. Kids-friendly versus my sick shit. You figure it out. And I don't own Against Me!'s Thrash Unreal. It is a kickass song.)

'_The mother of her dreams... and her daughter's gonna grow up to be a junkie! Mother of her dreams... and her daughter's gonna grow up to sleep alone...' _

I was wailing my head off by this point. No matter where I went, I just couldn't be happy. I just wanted things to go right for once, and just go my way. I wanted the story to end with a happily ever after, not '_She shot herself in the head, and they stopped grieving'_. I sighed, and kicked a stone into the water.

_What to do..._ It hit me. "Run away." My lips formed these words, and instantly, I knew just what to do. I raced back to Zero. "Come on, baby boy." I whispered.

"_Lucy! They're looking for you, why leave?" _I grabbed my pokeballs, and shook my head. "I'll explain later. Let's _go, _Zero." He whined softly, but obeyed me. Just as I slung myself up on his back, the guys came running out of the Contest Hall.

Harley's eyes locked with mine. He looked so sad right then, and so full of regret. I felt one tear drip down my cheek, and then I turned, and urged Zero forward.

* * *

-_Harley's POV-_

Oh, man. What the _HELL _just happened?! Lucy was on Zero... and then she turned, and left. She was crying, I saw her. Lucy, why were you crying? Why did you leave? Well, whatever. I'll find you. Brendan had already got his Milotic looking for her— Oh, my god. Brendan._ Shit! _She must've seen how jealous I looked.

Oh, damn. I didn't mean it; Lucy, please come back, _please! _I'm _sorry._

I scream, "We have to find her!" And start running in the direction she'd gone, towards the woods. They all look at each other, and a bit of understanding clicks. They follow me, no questions asked.

_

* * *

-Lucy's POV-_

Zero's paws thudded over the ground in a rhythm so soothing, I found myself half asleep on his back. "I don't need love." I whispered softly. "Especially not _his _love. I won't have it." I had hardened myself completely, especially in this case.

It was just necessity; love any damn thing but your Pokemon, your heart's gonna be broken. I sighed. "_At least you guys understand me." _I whisper. Zero shakes his head.

"_Not now, I don't. Why did we leave, Lucy?" _I sigh softly, and stroke his neck. "Because, 'Ro. He never loved me." Suddenly, Sachiko releases herself from her pokeball. I jump, surprised as hell.

"_Are you barking mad!?" _She shrieks, seeming truly agitated. "_My girl, you are an idiot! Are you saying that boy never gave his heart to you! Lucy, he loved you, and I know damn well you loved him, didn't you?!" _I shake my head.

"No. Maybe once, but not anymore." Sachiko rolled her eyes. "_You've gotta be kidding me. Seriously, you can be such a drama queen. He looked at Brendan _once." She shakes her head at my stupidity._ "Well, when he comes running for you, maybe you'll get it." _She turns away from me.

Why is everyone _doing _this? I'm right, I know it. He never loved me. Harley Davidson... oh, damn. I rode on in silence, until we reached the outcrop of rocks north of Rustboro. I sighed. "Well, let's just go to Meteor Falls, and head to Lavaridge. We'll head to Slateport from there, and catch a ship to Johto." They all shook their heads.

"_Then you will go alone. We're not leaving. Harley _needs _you, Lucy. We're staying." _I get frustrated. "WHOSE FUCKING SIDE ARE YOU ON?!" I scream, stamping my foot like a child. "_YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO LOVE ME!" _I turn to leave. If they won't stay with me, fine. I guess even your pokemon betray you, in the end. "You're free to go." I storm off.

Oh, I know exactly what I've done. But I don't care; if they won't stick with me, so be it. I'll go alone. I rush ahead through Meteor Falls, my tears and feet falling in the same rhythm. "Didn't you love me?" I wail pitifully. I race forward, and realize—

Oh crap, I've fallen in the waterfall. I scream, but my mouth is instantly filled with water. "SZEREN!" I scream. "HELP ME!" But she doesn't answer, because _she's not there. _I begin to shriek, proving to be my undoing.

That shriek attracted some rather unwanted attention.

A man with slicked hair snapped shut a phone. "Well, that was easy." He reached into the water, and yanked me out by one arm. He spun me to face him, and my eyes widened in recognition. "Hello. You must be Lucy, am I right?"

_Giovanni._

I scream, "SZEREN, I NEED YOU, PLEASE!" He grips my arm so tight it's about to break. "Hush! Don't worry, _princess, _we're going back to my base." As he loosens his grip on my arm, I try to run, but he just grabs me by the neck. His grip tightens, and I hear, "_Such a shame. Not so pretty with all those bruises, are we, princess?" _

* * *

-_Szeren's POV-_

Lucy was just angry. I knew she'd never leave us. What she did was a bit harsh, but granted, we were the same way. This poor child. Oh, why couldn't she just be happy? I flew to Meteor Falls to get her, when I saw _him. _The man who Lucy and I had stopped together twice. Giovanni.

And he had my baby by the throat. He was muttering something to her unconscious body. My vision went red with pure rage. This was _my child_ he was harming. For that, I would make him pay in blood for every bruise on her neck.

I roared, a terrible, resonating cacophony across the walls, and in that moment, I sounded like a demon from hell. "_YOU SHALL NOT TOUCH HER!!" _I roar, snapping open my wings, and as I fly towards him, I open my terrible mouth, and begin to spew flames, flames hot as the fires of hell, and...

(_I'll make him burn, I swear I'll make him burn_—_swear—)_

He ducks quickly, and grips _my _Lucy's body to his chest. "Ah ah ah." He chides, shaking his finger. "Wouldn't want to harm your kid here, would you?" He strides confidently to the entrance, knowing damn well I wouldn't hurt my Lucy.

He reaches the entrance, grins, and snaps his fingers. A helicopter is in front of him in an instant, and he waves. "_Ta-ta, dear." _He grins wickedly, and waves as he falls out of sight into the sky. I would give chase, but I know it won't work. I have to find Harley. He'll save her, he loves her.

And if he doesn't, she'll die. She'll be right, but she'll die. For the love of Mew, I hope she's wrong.

I soar back towards Petalburg, trying to find them. There! They're in the woods, searching intently. I alight down. "Szeren? Sze, what's wrong? Where's Lucy?" Drew asks. "_Gone. Rockets, they took her. We have to find them, now!" _Harley turns to me. "Why the hell didn't you save her!!?" As annoyed as I am that he has the audacity to yell at _me, _I'm glad. At least he cares she's gone.

"_She... she abandoned us." _This stops him. "What?! WHY?!" I sighed. "_Well... she wanted to run away from you." _I watch his facial expression carefully, looking for a reaction. I get one. He looks like he's about to cry.

"_So she wanted to go to Johto. We refused, and told her we would wait there. She was foolish for leaving you, we said. So she ran, ran from us." _My voice breaks, and I began to cry. "_My baby's gone." _Harley takes this in.

Then he says, "Well, what are we waiting for? Calvary ho, bitches." He races off through the woods. The others sigh. "He's gonna walk into a tree." May predicts ominously. Brendan laughs. "All in the name of love." I turn to them. "_You do not have to come. I'll find her." _Drew rolls his eyes.

"You're kidding. We're all in this. Now, where are the others?" I smile. It's only a matter of time before she realizes what good friends this girl had. Don't worry, Lucy. We're coming.

I meet up with Zero, Sachiko, and Bleak, who all are anxiously awaiting for Lucy. I relay what happened with her and Giovanni, and Zero howls. "_They took Lucy!" _He roars, and he bunches his muscles, ready to spring over the ocean, foolishly, in an attempt to save his trainer.

"_No, Zero. We will find her. But we need you to pick up her scent. Can you?" _I plead.His nose twitches. "_Nothing. But... maybe Hiromi will have an answer?" _Harley looks at me. "Seem like a good idea?" I nod._ "Hell yeah." _

We race back through Petalburg. The Contest is starting, but I see not a flicker of regret on their faces, as they rush back to Littleroot. Friends, indeed. Oh, Lucy...

Birch is outside, and his expression quickly changes from one of leisure to one of surprise. "What are you all doing here—and where's Lucy?" Harley relays the story this time, and finishes, "We need to see the Pokemon! Now!" He shrieks.

He's near tears, and completely hysterical, besides. May lays a hand on his shoulder. "Harley, relax. We'll find her." Munchlax nods in agreement with his trainer. Harley's tone turns to an icy, fearful whisper.

"And _what_ if he kills her?" Hiromi had come sailing out by this point. "_Who's to be killed? What on earth is going on?" _I relay the story this time. His eyes widen. "_That man... get the others. Third-Class or not, he will fear our wrath." _

_

* * *

-Lucy's POV-_

Where... what the hell? Where the fuck am I? Why am I here? It's really cold here... I wish Szeren could warm me up. I look around. In the dark, I can sort-of make out a cage, and nothing else.

I'm laying on this cold steel cot, and it seems to be so cold, my tears will freeze if I cry. I cry anyway, because it hurts. I'm scared. I shouldn't have ever left my Pokemon. I sob harder. "Oh, no... please, guys, be safe." I pray to Mew.

I sit up, and try to figure out where I am. I can hear water rushing around outside. I could be in Sootopolis, or Cianwood. Or maybe Cinnabar Island. Or... I sit up.

So, we've established I have no idea where I am, but it's not near Meteor Falls. I'd escape too easily if we were in a specific Rocket Base; I think he knows who I am, otherwise he wouldn't have come looking for me, right?

I'm scared. I picture Harley's face, so full of sadness when I left. "Harley?" I call out to the darkness. "If you can hear me... I'm sorry." I think of how strange he was, and how sweet he was to me. His stupid way of dressing, the way he talked about his Pokemon, the way he battled... I broke down sobbing again. "Please, god." I prayed, pleading to any deity. "Save me."

He doesn't. Instead, he brings the worst hell I've ever endured to me. I hear the door swing open. It's a regular Rocket, and he grins at me. "Boss said you don't have any Pokemon. Good." Oh, god. He's coming closer...

I know what's going to happen. So I do what I did every time dad sold me off.

I shut my eyes...

I feel it, but it's vague, like it's not really happening, good, oh god, please...

(_I'm scared, really scared, he's reaching, reaching)_

I'm not wearing pants, oh Christ, help me, someone...

(_Just like before)_

I want Szeren, save me, please, it hurts now, but I'm not here—

(_It's not happening)_

Not anymore, _oh sweet Jesus, he's dead, and he's still__ there_

Giovanni throws the grunt's now-headless bleeding body off of me. He swears heavily, and checks for blood on the cot. His lip curls. "So you weren't a virgin after all. Damn it all to hell."

He turns, and leaves me in the room with the corpse, but not before saying, "Don't worry, princess. I'll be back soon."

I curl up into the smallest possible ball I can manage, and I begin to sob. This time, there's no Pokemon to comfort me. Quietly, I begin to scream. No one hears me. No one's around to, anyway. I just want to die.

* * *

-_Harley's POV-_

_Lucy._ Hiromi's got us all on his back, and Saorise is in front; she went back in time to follow Giovanni to where he was going. I now officially love this goddamn Celebi.

He's in the Sevii Islands, and he's got her in a _cage. _Saorise told us all this. I want to kill him. Screw that, I will kill him. He has no goddamn right to go near her, and he's hurt her. I will kill him.

Ichigo is scanning the area anxiously, until her eyes light up. "_I can contact mommy now!" _Her eyes glow white. Drew blinks. "What?" Hiromi explains, "_Ichigo can psychically contact members of her family, find out where they are. And I think she can do it with Lucy."_

Her eyes continue to shine white for an instant. Then they black out, and she begins to scream. Through her sobs, she begins to describe something out of a nightmare.

_

* * *

-Lucy's POV-_

Ichigo was in my head. "_Mommy? Are you there?" _She calls out quietly. "_I'm here baby." _I assure her. She seems to be happy. "_Yay! Well, don't worry mommy, we're coming for you. We're on our way; stay put, I have to check something."_

I feel her searching through my memories, but then she sees what just happened, and I feel her presence leave my body. I wince. Thinking happily of my rescue, I turn to get up, when I see a familiar white-blonde head. "Oh, my god. Lucy, what are you doing here?"

_Faris._


	22. Retribution! A friend's anger!

(Okay, I'm writing a Harley/Cacturne fic.

Yes, I'm serious. Just letting everyone know, I figure. It's a 3-chapter or so thing, around my ususal length, and it's going to be up and complete Thanksgiving weekend, hopefully. As for Faris... Michelle's fault, and she knows why. Go read her story, Bleeding to Death. You'll figure it out. NO ONE FUCKS WITH HARLEY!!

LA VIE EN BOHEMIA, BITCHES! Okay, I don't own pokemon. Kids-friendly versus my sick shit. You figure it out.)

"Oh my god, what the fuck are you doing here—where in Angel's name is Crash!" I shriek, and he winces. "Calm down. I... uh... well, I've come to save you. Let's go, I'll explain later." I don't really like that, but who cares, I'm getting out of here. I stand up, and find I'm too weak to stand. Faris sighs, and grasps my arm, pulling me towards the exit. I step out of the cage, and see that this is the Rocket base they had in the Sevii islands.

Oh, good. I know this one okay. But I realize it's a lot bigger, and deeper, and darker. "Damn." Faris swears. He pulls me past rows of empty cages, some with reddish stains on the bottom. I wince, but before I can feel sad, I'm yanked past security guards. Faris puts a finger to his lips, and gestures to a door that has '_Office' _inscribed on it in gold lettering. We're about to creep past when the door is flung open.

Giovanni storms out, and sees us instantly. "Oh, poor, poor Faris." He sighs, and instead of fucking _killing us, _he retreats into his office. "Son, I didn't want to do this." I gape. "_Son?!" _He gives me a sad smile.

"Yup. Dear old dad." A million questions are on my lips, but before I can say a thing, he struts out of his office, and what he has by the hair makes both Faris and I scream. Oh my god, he's got Crash. Her eyes are filled with so much fear they seem to get larger with each passing second.

"Dad! What the hell!?" Faris shrieks. Giovanni grins endearingly at Faris. "Dearest boy, I'm giving you a proposition. I'll give you the entirety of Team Rocket to run, right now, if you hand over Lucy... and shoot the bitch here." Faris just stares.

"Faris..." Crash pleads. She's crying. He begins to cry, too. "Oh, Crash_, no_. I won't." Giovanni nods, like he's been expecting this. "I see. Well," He levels a gun at Faris. "If that's how you want it." Faris screams, but Crash interrupts.

"Ah, shite. Don't fucking touch him, ye bastard. Faris!" She yells. He turns to her. "Crash?" His voice is a husky whisper.

"Kill me." She orders him gently. He shakes his head. "No, please don't—" She stops him. "It's okay. Just know I love you, no matter who you're related to; you can't help that." He wails. Hugging her, he whispers, "I love you, too." His hands are shaking as he takes the gun. He turns to Crash, pulls the trigger, and—

(_He wouldn't kill her, didn't)_

But he's shot her, oh god. Her head jerks back, and she's spasming for an instant, then—

She's still. Faris stares at the gun in his hands. "No." He whispers.

Then, quietly and without any warning, he goes mad.

"I KILLED HER!" He screams, voice a shriek. "KILLED HER!" He turns the gun on himself, Giovanni's eyes widen, as Faris pulls the trigger. He's shot himself in the heart; oh thank Christ, if he'd gone for the head, there'd be no doubt he would die. But he might have missed. I decide there's nothing I can do for the moment, and I turn toward Crash.

I rush over to her, and check her wound. The bullet left her system, and it didn't hit an artery; she might make it. I release Bane and Scourge.

"_Mistress?" _Scourge whispers. Bane registers what has transpired, and turns to Giovanni in a heated rage. "_Die." _She launches herself at him, but he turns the gun to me, again, oh _crap_—

"_CALVARY __HO__, BITCHES_!!" My thoughts are interrupted by a maniacal shriek from none other than Harley, Sweet Transvestite, my savior. He's on Hiromi's back, and the others surround him. "What the hell..." Giovanni lowers his gun.

Harley jumps off Hiromi, and before anyone can react, he's smashed his fist into Giovann's forehead, knocking him out cold. I blink. "Damn. That's some left hook." He pivots, and rushes to me. "Lucy?" He stops. "I—" I hold up my hand.

"No need. I'm sorry I left." He smiles, but now is not the time. Faris is draped over Crash's body. Harley sees her, and screams. "Oh my god, my baby!" He screeched, and tore to her side. He checks the same wound. He sees Faris' wound as well, but his mind is obviously on his sister.

"Call Vita over, right the fuck now!" He roars. I nod, and gesture for her. "Can you heal this?" Harley demands. I try to speak up for Faris, but I'm interrupted. Vita gives it the once-over, and nods. "_Yes, but you may want to look away." _I don't look away in time, and I see her burst Crash's shoulder open psychically. I wince, and turn away.

"Ew." She's levitating the bullet out, and with Saorise's help, stitches her back together. "_You can turn around now." _She calls. We turn, expectantly waiting for her recovery. Crash sits up, and observes the scene. "Where the fuck am ah?" Harley tackles her. "CRASH!" She is surprised, but hugs him back. "Hi, Harley. Where's Faris?" He points to where Faris is curled up. You'd expect a happy reunion?

"Get up, asshole. Ah'm not dead." She kicks him. I am at a loss for words. She doesn't realize he's bleeding. "Um..." She figures it out for herself. "He's dead!" She screams. She picks up his body. "HEAL HIM, RIGHT THE FUCK NOW!!" Vita sighs. "_There's nothing I can do. I might burst his heart with psychic energy. If we get out of here, he might make it."_

Drew and Brendan are both walking up to Giovanni with a look of disdain. Bane struts over to him, and unsheathes her claws.

"_Normally, I do not strike an unconscious enemy. But in this case..." _She flicks her claws across Giovanni's face, and I see a thin line of blood starting from his chin to the right temple. I grin. "That'll ruin his good looks, for sure." I sneer. I turn, and run to Hiromi. "Hey, Hiromi." I whisper. He snorts.

"_You... you're okay?" _I nod. "Did Harley..." "_He came to us, begging for our help. He... Lucy, he saved you." _I wince. "I know. Can I see Szeren?" He nods. I rush to where she is. She swings her head to meet mine. "Oh, Szeren. I'm so... oh god, I'm so sorry..." I burst into tears. She is silent. Then she pulls me into a hug.

"_It's okay. Ichigo said that man... he..." _I nod slowly. She growls fiercely. "_I will kill him." _I sigh. "Don't bother, Giovanni already did. Her eyes widen. "_I'm sorry." _I sigh. "I know, Szeren. Where are the others?" Zero is waiting expectantly.

"_See! I knew you didn't hate us, you didn't!" _He barks. I hug him tightly. "I could never hate you. 'Ro, I'm so sorry." He barks again, and wags his tail happily. I grin, and hug Bleak. "I'm sorry, luvvy." He nods. "_Szeren said you could never hate us. She was right." _Sachiko is tapping me on the shoulder.

"_Lucy? I'm sorry... for what I said. We promised we'd never leave you, and we broke it. I'm so sorry." _That jolts me to reality. "Oh, yeah!" I remember that...

But before I can do a thing, we're on Hiromi, right for the hospital. I feel bad for Faris, but I need to remember this...

(Flashback, don't wanna read, skip.)

"_Lucy?" The instant I materialize, Szeren is standing over me. She sweeps a critical eye over my bruises. "They beating you up at school again, honey?" I nod. She sighs. "Oh, sugar... release the others." I nod, and open my five other pokeballs. Whiplash, the albino Raticate with an Attack stat of 345. Level: 38. (1)_

_Sachiko, Deidre, Vita, and my newest crew member. Shadow the Missingno. He's a ghost, like the one from Lavender Tower._

"_Hi, mommy!" He says. He's like a little five year old, this one. "Hi, Shadow." Vita is taking a swig from a bottle of Jack Daniel's. I raise an eyebrow._

"_Undiluted?" She burps, and grins. "I taught you well, huh, shrimp?" Sachiko rolls her eyes. "I can't believe you DRINK in front of her. She's five." Vita shrugs. "And...?" I giggle. "I'm smarter than that, Chiko!" She rowls, and sits down. Whiplash breaks the silence. _

"_So. Indigo Plateau." I sigh. "I'm scared." Deidre flips her tail. "Don't worry, Lucy! We can do it!" I nod, but look discouraged anyway. "But, what if something happens? Victory Road's supposed to be scary and tough. Moltres is there, too. I don't wanna die." I snivel. I'm scared, but Shadow lays a claw on my shoulder._

"_Don't worry, mommy! I'll beat them all up for you! I'm level 122, remember?!" I smile weakly. "Yeah, Shadow. I remember." Szeren stretches her neck. "Well, I have something to say. Lucy," She turns to me. "Lucy, I will never leave you. I've been with you since you started this, and I don't intend to leave now." Vita blinks, and takes another swig of JD. _

"_Would you put the drink DOWN!? We're swearing an oath, here!!" Sachiko screeches at Vita. Vita sighs, and turns to me. "Right, shrimp. I really like you; honestly, I wouldn't have appeared before you. I am honored to serve as your pokemon, and well... I won't leave you either, shrimp." I smiled. "That means a lot, Veets." I turn to Szeren._

"_I love you." She bows her head. "I love you too." "After all this time?" "Always." She snorts, like she's annoyed her loyalty has come into question. Deidre strokes her tail across my leg._

"_I won't leave, either. I'll stick around. I didn't like you much at first, but," She grins at this, "you've grown on me." I smile. "Thanks for sticking around, Deej." She sniffs at my impromptu nickname. Shadow waves his hands, and jumps up and down. "ME! ME! I'LL STAY!!" I grin. "I know you will, Shads." Whiplash flicks her whiskers. "What else? Go back to fighting gangs? No, I'll stay. I quite like you, ya arrogant brat." I stick my tongue out at her. "Well, I'll nickname you Maureen!" She shudders. "You know damn well I hate that name." I nod. "Duh." Sachiko's the last one. "I love you. I won't leave, ever. We'll stick together, and we're gonna win."_

"_FUCK YEAH, LET'S GO!" Vita shrieks. As we teleport to the Indigo Plateau, the resounding cry is, "HAVE YOU BEEN DRINKING?!"_

I can't help but laugh. I loved them so much. But we're landing now, and Crash is the first into the hospital, screaming about Faris. We sighed, and rushed right after her. The nurses already had him on a stretcher. "He's gonna _die._" Crash wailed.

We merely stood in silence as she sobbed. Then May began to cry. We all looked at her. She smiled a bit. "My mom always said it's better if you don't cry alone." We all nodded, and I began to cry. Better than leaving Crash alone.

Ten minutes later, he's in surgery. Harley finally turns to me. "Ichigo, well, she..." I sigh. "It's, well..." I look away. "Business as usual." I sneer, hating myself. A nasty little voice chants in my head, '_Whore.' _I reply right back. '_Go to hell, he loves me anyways.'_

"Well? What went down?" I grip my knees. "What she said. I was defenseless, and an asshole took advantage of that." He sits there for a minute. "There are no words." He says softly. Then he yanks me to him, tightly. "But a hug helps." I lean into it, suddenly at peace. "Yeah. A hug helps."

(1: Whiplash is a strange little glitch in my programming. The first pokemon I ran into, ever, was a Rattata. It was pretty and white, with red eyes. Not knowing they weren't supposed to look like that, I caught her. Her attack was about 300 then. It grew like crazy, and I still don't know why to this day. I might put a picture of how her sprite looked if I can.)


	23. Carla Faye Naveah! We all laugh!

(Don't own. Carla-Faye is a joke. Mary-Sue, white trash style. XD. Flames will be used to power Szeren's tail! Oh, and for anyone who reads these things; I'm having trouble deciding a OT name for my next story. Barstow, or Lourdes? Help!)

We're in the hospital the entire night. Sitting and waiting for Faris. "_How long does surgery take_?" Wigglytuff complained, flopping down on the floor. "A long time. Now shut up, Wigglytuff." Harley orders his homicidal rabbit pokemon. "_Fuck you_." Wigglytuff groans. He starts, seeming to remember something.

"_I'm bored_." He points to me, half asleep on the hard plastic chair currently squashing my ass into nonexsistence. "_Entertain me_." I smack Harley over the head, and then fall back asleep. "OW! What the HELL?!" He squeals. I snort, and roll over. He growls, but falls asleep with me. Wigglytuff has turned to Banette to annoy. I'm waiting for Banette to kill him.

The next morning, they summon us to the ICU. "Well, he's going to be okay. He needs to stay another night to recuperate, but he'll live." Crash smiles in relief. "Okay, tha' settles it. Fuck off, you guys." Harley blinks. "What? Why?!" She snorts angrily.

"Well, you need to get Lucy her last two ribbons, don't yeh? She's the only one who doesn't hahve five!" I nod. "Oh, right." She continues. "I want to see her there. So move it, and go. We'll meet up with you later." I nod, and hug her. "See you later, Crash." She smiles. "We'll be okay, I promise." I sigh, and head out of the room.

As we head out, Zero whines. "_Do we have to go?_" I nod. "'Fraid so." He woofs sadly. "Alright. Next Contest is in... uh, LaRousse! Hell, who knew?" May remarks. "Alright. Drew! Szeren needs directions!" He's too busy staring at May to notice. Harley gets his attention the only way Harley can.

"_LOVER BOY_!" Drew jumps in the air about a good ten feet. "You know the way! Let's go!" He glares at Harley, but begins to describe LaRousse to Szeren, and she speeds off.

I sit on her neck, and swing my legs off into the sky. It's such a strange feeling. Like they're being yanked off. Wigglytuff is describing in immaculate detail the pokemon he will pwn, and how. "_Homicidal fuckjob_." Banette growls. I shrug.

"You get used to it." Once we've landed in LaRousse, it's still early enough to go shopping. I speed off like crazy, forgetting my back. Harley, interested as to what's in it, snatches it before I look back. He opens the flap, and shuffles through my stuff until he comes to my laptop. "_The hell is that?" _Octillery asks his trainer. "Dunno." Harley says, confused, placing the device on his lap.

He logs onto the computer, and clicks on the Paint button. He scrolls through the files, searching for something interesting, blackmail or otherwise. He right-clicks, and a menu opens up. Surprised, he drops the laptop, and the screen blanks out.

Noticing this, Drew smirks. "You're in so much _trouble._.. she's gonna_ kill_ you..." Harley gives him the finger, and proceeds to rattle the poor, abused laptop. "I can fix it!" He shrieks. "How, may I ask?" Drew says, keeping in raucous laughter... with great effort.

"...YOU ARE A CRIME AGAINST HUMANITY, AND GODDAMNIT ALL TO HELL, WHY WON'T YOU OPEN, YOU SICK FUCK!?" He shrieks. Drew raises an eyebrow. "I doubt that'll work." Unbeknownst to them, however, the computer had just restarted. Blinking back to life, it beeped cheerily, greeting the two of them. "..." Drew fumed. Harley swiveled to face him.

"OH! What NOW, bitch?! Huh?!" He fluted in triumph. (A/N: Swear to christ it's a word.) Drew just snarled at the laptop, who was unaware of the chaos it had just caused. Lucky laptop. I was rushing through the streets of LaRousse with a girn on my face. "Well, I could use new clothes..."

Three hours later, Szeren is covered in bags. "_I really hate you right now_." She growls. I grin. "It's fun, innit?" She spits fire at me, and grins. "_Hush, demonic child_." I prance up to the Contest hall. Grabbing a random bag, I rush in, quickly register, and rush out.

"Zero! Bleak! You're up, let's go!" They rush after me, and Harley and the others amble in at a leisurely pace. The dressing rooms are coed, and I, having absolutely no shame at this point, rip my shirt off, and with my torso facing the mirror, begin to apply makeup. Harley, of course, chooses this moment to walk in. "Uh... _Lucy_?!" He says, burning bright red. And I can't imagine why.

"Is that tattoo _real_?" Not looking at him, I nod. "Uh-huh." I arch my back, and show him the design, etched in ink, permanent reminders of my previous life. It's a scene from a fairy wood; however, it's a dark fairy wood.

The trees are gnarled and black, and the fairies have ethereal wings etched in the lightest of silvers and blacks. The moon is inches below my neck. "How... did... you..." I grin. "Called in a few favors at the tat shop by my house." I turn around. Still shirtless, for the record.

I _told_ you I have no shame. "See? I got one on my shoulder, too. It hurt worse." I explain. But he's not looking at the tattoo, he's tearing out of the room like a hellhound. A hellhound with a serious nosebleed, like.

I sigh. "Goddamnit, I like this one, too." It's a simple little chibi vampire. "No one appreciates _real_ art." Bleak nods. "_So sad." _I shrug on a dress, for once in my life. It's simple; about knee-length and thin straps crisscross the entire back, down to the small of my back, so you can see the tattoo. I put on a pair of boots, and head out.

Harley's still twitching a bit. I smile behind my hand, and grab my pokeballs. "Let's go, it's starting." They follow me, noting the tattoo. "Was that what you were scared of?" Drew asks. Harley shakes his head. "She's got one on her stomach." Drew takes an instant to comprehend this.

Then he cracks up. Harley slaps him over the head. "Oh, you bitch!" Drew mutters angrily, as we stride out into the hall.

I click my heels as we head up to the Coordinators section. I settle into my seat, and begin to watch the appeals. Today, I decide, after this. I will catch a pokemon. I've never done it here, and I'm so excited! I think I might catch a water or dark type. I have three fires, and only one dark. I feel guilty; I love dark types. I shrug, and watch the appeals.

A lot of snobby rich kids live in LaRousse; oh, how I can hardly wait to get my claws into one. Giggling evilly, I settle in, and watch their golden sparkling pokemon perform. Guiltily, I look at my own. They're beautiful, in a rough sort of way. A bit worn and scarred.

I don't care. They don't need to be all fluffy and fancy for me. I grin, and pet Zero as the Appeals are run through. I zone out until I hear my name being called. "Let's go, Bleak." He nods eagerly, claws clicking in time with my heels as we descend the steps.

I face the strobelights calmly, and fling my arm out. "Bleak! Flamethrower!" He sits down, and raises his head up. He spews out a fountain of flame, which falls like raindrops to surround him in a ring of fire. "Now, Blizzard!" I yell. The crackling flames in his mouth stop.

And from his entire body, a white, cold powder is descending, getting melted by the flames. Now he's surrounded by a huge puddle. I grin. "Water Pulse!" He gathers up all the water, and as soon as it surrounds him, he sends it flying in all directions.

"Rain Dance!" I command. Swaying, he clicks his claws, and the rain begins to fall in patterns. Everyone gasps in amazement, as the rain falls softly on their faces. "Whoa..." May notes, watching the spectacle. "Did you think Bleak would know that?" Everyone shook their heads. "Wow." Drew mutters, grudging respect for me forming. HAH!

As we clamber up the steps, I can feel the eyes of the entire crowd on me. I look down, and see a few young kids, mostly girls, all almost trainer age, holding signs. I strain to read them. Behind me, the others crack up.

'_GO, LUCY!!' "GO, BLACKTHORN GIRL!!' 'KICK ASS!' _I have fans. I crack up, giggling like crazy. I lean back in my seat, still laughing, and fall asleep.

When I wake up, I am shoved right into a battle. It's me against some man named Pluto. He's got green hair, kinda long. It reaches down to past his shoulders somewhere. I observe him quietly as I finger Zero's pokeball. He makes the first move, thrashing his arms madly as he throws out a pokeball. "Go, Rampardos!" I raise an eyebrow.

So he's not from here. I throw out Zero's pokeball. "Zero, go! Use Extremespeed!" Before anyone can blink, he's rammed the blue-gray fossil pokemon, and has him pinned. "Rampardos, Flamethrower!" I grin. This man is an idiot.

Zero isn't affected by fire.

But my boy howls, and leaps back from the Rampardos. "What the..." It hits me; Mold Breaker. "Goddamn! Zero! Crunch and Flamethrower!" He howls, and with a mouthful of flame, he charges toward the Rampardos. "Use Rock slide!" The strange man orders. The Rampardos smacks the wall, summoning chunks of rock to fall on Zero. "Leap up! Jump down, and aim for his head!" I roar.

He yips, and does so. Striking the Rampardos dead on, he crunches the top of his head, the only unexposed part of him. The Rampardos screams with frustration and pain before he passes out. Pluto recalls his pokemon, and sneers at me. "I don't care who you are. Mess with Team Galactic, and you'll pay." Cliche lines aside, I recall Zero, and head back up.

"Wow. What's his deal?" Harley wonders aloud. I shrug. "Damned if I know. Whatever. So, when's your battle?" He cocks a smile at me. "Oh, poor dollface... Missed it, _Sleeping Beauty_." I glare at him, decide it's not worth killing him over, and ask, "You won?" He nods. "Wigglytuff." I shudder.

"Speaks volumes." He cracks up. "May and Drew both lost. They're off... ah, _consoling _each other, shall we say?" I snort, and fall into his lap laughing. Staring at me, he quietly begins to laugh, until we're laughing so hard over what wasn't even that funny, we almost miss my name being called.

"Finals! Lucy Saxon versus Carla Faye Nevaeh!" I blink. "Her real name." Harley checks the board, and nods grimly. "Her real name."


	24. Erose and the potted plant!

(Don't own. Carla was orginally going to be a Sue, then a talking-to by Flameboo changed my mind. Thank her, and go review her stories. She's given me a lot of help. Flames will be used to power Szeren's tail! Oh, and for anyone who reads these things; I'm having trouble deciding a OT name for my next story. Barstow, or Lourdes? Help! I'm also asking if you want Lucy to catch another pokemon after this one. I'm stumped as to ideas on that.)

This kid is not just a spoiled little rich girl, she is the _quintessinal _spoiled little rich girl. Argh. Why me? She flounces down the steps, and I sneer. "She's dead." I grab Szeren's pokeball.

"Screw it. Sorry, Zero." As I storm down the steps, Drew and May return, a little bit mussed, but grinning. "She's fighting?" Drew states. Harley nods. "Against the queen of white trash. Carla-Faye Nevaeh."

-Cue organ music-

(-Authoress looks up from her calliope- "What, this isn't good enough?! Sonsabitches...)

I faced the girl. She waved a gloved hand at me. I looked up. Wigglytuff was shrieking, '_Kill her, Lucy!! PLEASE!! I WILL PAY YOU!!' _With that task in mind, I grin, anticipating this. She tosses out a pokeball first. "Go, Kipchaz!" I roll my eyes. It's a Mudkip. I think I just died.

"Szeren, go!" My dragon appears, poised to fight the toughest enemy, slay entire battlefields, soar high in the clouds, all the while raining fire down like she is an angel of the Apocalypse.

She is facing a small, rather terrified mud fish thing.

She turns to me, growls, and quirks an eyebrow. "_Lucy? Shall I...?"_ I shrug. "Kill." She grins, and turns back to the Mudkip. "Okay Kipchaz, Water Pulse!" The mud fish unleashes thing huge friggin stream of water, leaving Szeren thoroughly soaked.

I'm stunned.  
"What the hell is your Mudkip doing knowing that move?" I spit. She smiles. Not evilly, just a smile. "I got the TM as a present. This one, too! Kipchaz, Ice Beam!" I snarl. "Szeren, don't back down! Use Dragon Pulse!" She snorts derisively.

"_Me? Scared? By a MUDKIP!? You're kidding, luv." _She spews a bluish-white shock wave at the Mudkip, who squeals and runs away. I sweatdrop. "_How can this Mudkip know all these moves, and still be such a goddamn wimp?"_

Szeren and Kip are facing each other down. "Water Pulse!" Carla-Faye tells her pokemon. I reassess her. She seems like a talented trainer, though rather suited for battles than contests. She's actually quite strong.

Up in the rafters, Harley shrieks, "How can this shrimpy little thing actually be doing some damage?! That Charizard's a fuckin' _tank!" _Drew leans back in his seat, and sighs. "This is a really rich community. That kid probably had her daddy buy her all these TMs, and fancy training equipment." May blinked in surprise.

"So Lucy's gonna lose?" Harley immediately jumped to my defense. "Like hell! Those two are the best!" He raves. Drew thinks. "Well, I dunno." Wigglytuff groans.

"_People. It's a fuckin' Mudkip,_ _**come on..**__." _They allstare. "Well... he's right." Harley says hesitantly. Wigglytuff cheers. "_Aren't I always_?" Everyone is silent.

"_Fuck you all_."

Down where the fun stuff is happening, I am getting my ass pwned by some brat with a retardedly powerful Mudkip. I feel like killing something. Szeren is humiliated. "_I... I'm sorry, Lucy! This damn thing knows HYDRO PUMP!!" _I nod.

"It's okay. I have an idea." I tell her, "Combine Flamethrower and Dragon Pulse. Fire away." She grins. Turning back to the Mudkip, she roars. Carla-Faye notes this.

"Nice. I like this battle; you've made it very interesting."

For some reason, I begin to cry. "Th-this isn't fair... I... I raised Szeren..." I sniffle, hating myself for crying, and ultimately, feeling worse and wanting to cry more.

I hate her so much. She's stronger than I am, and she's gonna win. This sucks. Szeren sees the look on my face, and gets pissed. "_Oh, lord, quit crying, you sap. We're gonna win." _She clips me gently with her wing. "_Don't doubt me." _I nod.

"I'm sorry." Szeren doesn't reply. She simply opens her mouth, and unleashes an electric-blue hell. Dragonthrower. And it's strong. It hits the Mudkip, sending it flying. Harley is wordlessly recording this on my cell. Silent still, he sends it to Crash's Pokenav. Then he grins.

I cheer up. The girl notes her Mudkip lost, and smiles. "Nice job." I blink. "Uh, shouldn't you care you've lost...?" She shrugs. "Whatever. This is just a break from my training. Cool Charizard. See you." She turns, and walks off.

I don't know what the hell just happened, but I think I just got pwned by an _average_ trainer. With a Mudkip. I look at Szeren, and see that she's laughing. For some odd reason, I begin to laugh too.

Everyone is staring. "She just pretty much got pwned, and she's _laughing." _Drew notes. I'm still laughing as we walk up the steps. I hear my phone ring in Harley's hand. Grabbing it, I note it's Crash. "Hey, Lucy!" I immediately feel guilty for not calling her. We shouldn't have left so abruptly. But I did need that ribbon. And now I feel selfish.

Fuck. She prattles on, "Me and Faris have decided to take a break, and catch a few more pokemon! Will you be at the next Contest? The one in Mossdeep?" I shrug. "I think so..." She breathes excitedly. "Yay! We'll see you there; I'm gonna get me a Spheal!" She hangs up the phone, and it buzzes in my ear. I raise an eyebrow.

"Well. That went well. So, who won?" Harley shrugs. "Yours was the last match. I think they're judging." I cross my fingers...

"And the winner is... Lucy Saxon of Blackthorn, for her stunning Appeal!" I hug Bleak. Szeren seems to be a bit miffed we didn't win because of her battle, but I don't care. One more ribbon! I'm still cheery as we walk out of the hall.

I see Carla-Faye meet up with her dad, and as they walk over, I notice he isn't _quite _like I imagined. He's... normal. Apart from the heavy gold watch, he looks like the dads the kids at school brought in for conferences.

"Damn." I remark. He grins, and shakes my hand. "Hello there. Nice to meet you. I'm Vernon, Vernon Pline. I have a proposition for you." I raise an eyebrow. "But you don't know me." He nods. "My daughter has mentioned you just now. I believe you have a Charizard?" I nod cautiously.

"Ah, well! You see, we have a bit of a... problem, downtown. A Bulbasaur is raving and using his powers to talk to and well... it's causing some panic. Could you please take care of the problem for us?" I shrug. "We've got time?" Drew checks his watch. "We've got time." I nod. "Fine then. Let's go."

We get in Vernon's plain, bland car, and speed off. Carla-Faye has changed into a pair of jeans and a T-Shirt. I am still a bit amazed. "You ever really fought?" She asks me. I shake my head. "I'm pretty much a Coordinator." She nods.

"Feel like fighting?" I nod, and then ask, "You have stronger things than Kipchaz?" She looks down at the Mudkip, and cracks up. "Kippie?! Man, do I EVER! Kip is just a new pokemon." I blush. "I-I'm sorry, I thought you were—" She interrupts. "A rich bitch. My mom was. She named me. You can call me Faye. I like that better." I am amazed. She's nothing like I thought. She's very cool, collected, organized...

"I think you might want to travel with a friend of mine." I blurt out. She raises an eyebrow. "And who might this 'friend' be?" I describe Crash to her. She thinks. "Well... maybe. If I can meet up with her in Lilycove."

I nod, satisfied, and watch the homes disappear as we head downtown. "I believe he's in the Pokemon Center." Vernon says in a hushed tone. I sigh, and pad in quietly, expecting a vicious pokemon, ready to kill.

"_You think you're so goddamn high and mighty, don't you, you sonofabitch! In here, waited on hand and foot! Huh!? That it, motherfucker?! WHAT MAKES YOU SO GODDAMN SPECIAL!!?"_ The Bulbasaur is shrieking at a plastic plant. It sways gently in the air conditioner's breeze, not responding. "_That's right, act like you don't hear me!! I KNOW WHERE YOU SLEEP, BITCH_!!"

I gape. "Uh... I..." He turns. "_Who the hell are you?! Oh, don't tell me! I __**KNOW**_!" He roars. This might be scary if not for the fact that this pokemon is about up to my knee. "You're _with THEM! The people in the white coats!! I WON'T HAVE IT, I TELL YOU_!!!" He cackles like a madman, and then proceeds to attempt to convince the plant to speak to him again.

Outside, Harley, Drew, and May are all cracking up. I look to my pokemon for help, but they're all being retards too. I hate my life. But, pretty much against my will, I find myself actually liking this Bulbasaur. The color of his eyes reminded me of _insanity_.

So, since my pokemon were of no use, I did the only thing I could think of. I smacked him over the head with a potted plant, and threw a pokeball. It shook once, twice, three times, and then it was still.

Oh my god. What had I done? Caught a crazy Bulbasaur, that's what. I didn't like Venasaur! It _SUCKED_! (1)

I sighed, and shoved the pokeball in my pocket. I'd deal with Mr. Crack-Man later. (Excuse my Pac-Man pun.) Harley was still laughing as Vernon shepherded us all into the car. "And you _caught him! _Man, you just won yourself a crazy fuckin' Bulbasaur!"

I tackled him, tearing at whatever I could reach. "Don't make me turn this car around!" Faye turned to the others. "Mossdeep isn't too far away, right?" They shook their heads. "Oh, thank god." She sighed in relief.

Once we pull up to the house, Harley flies out of the car, and rushes up to the mansion, screaming that there was a harpy on his tail. The others shuffle out quietly, not sure what to make of this.

Once we're inside, and we've settled down, we're seated at a huge table, and being served a five-course meal. I'm stunned, and then remember my pokemon have to eat. I call them out, and hesitantly hold up the Bulbasaur's pokeball. May shrugs.

"Go ahead and open it. There's no plastic plants around, so we should be okay." I wince, and throw out the pokeball. "Oh, hey. Guess you're not with the white coats, after all." I raise an eyebrow. He's... calm, now. Except for the twitching violet eye. I decide not to ask, and say, "Yes, I'm not. Do you have a name? Mine's Lucida Saxon." (2)

He nods. "_They call me mad, bad, and dangerous to know." _(3)

I sigh. "A real name?" He shrugs, and grunts, "_Boy of mine never thought to call me much_." I ask, "Boy?" He nods. "_A bit dense, this kid. So I tried to call in a few favors from some friends of mine, but the plants are uncaring bastards. Like, support a brotha, would ya_?" I crack up.

He notes this, amused, and says, "_Well, since you caught me, I suppose I have a new trainer? One with an IQ of over 12?_" I nod. "_Goody. Well, hop to it. A name would be appreciated_." I come up with one instantly. "Erose." He winced. "_A bit girly, but whatever. I like it_." Satisfied, he sits down to eat. I roll my eyes, give a 'don't you dare' glance at the others, and wolf my food down also.

As we head out, Faye grabs four other pokeballs.

"Ready to fight?" She asks. I nod, excited to see what she sends out. We face each other on the lawn, and she throws out her first pokeball. "Anthima, go!" It's an Ampharos. "Phaaa!" It chirps. I nod.

"Cool. Zero! Crunch!" He dives at the Ampharos. "Charge!" Her fur becomes crackly. I wince. "Switch to Flamethrower!" He does, and hits, but he receives some of the shock, as well. "Thunderbolt!" I search for a move. "Heat Wave!" He lets out a hot, sweltering blast of heat, summoned out of seemingly nowhere.

Ampharos becomes languid from the heat, and Zero sees his chance. "Fire Blast!" "Thunder!" Faye orders, but Zero's already struck, and the Ampharos is down. I grin. "Return!" Faye yells. She turns to me. "Well, that was pretty good. But can you handle my starter?" She tosses out a pokeball. "Gareth, go!" The gigantic blue turtle roars, and flexes the cannons situated on it's back, glaring at me. I wince. "Return, Zero!" I want so desperately to send out Szeren. It'd be like the old fights I had with my rival so long ago.

I shake my head. Not a good idea. "Bleak, go! Use Rain Dance!" He obeys, and Faye grins. "Really? How stupid was _that _move?" I smirk. "You'll see."

"Hydro Pump!" She orders. I wait until it's close to Bleak, and then I scream, "Use Thunder! Fire the Hydro Pump right back!" He obeys me, summoning a bolt of lightning from the heavens.

As the Blastoise staggers, Carla-Faye is amazed. "I... I really don't know what to say. Nice. But, let's keep it up, Gareth! Rollout!" The Blastoise tucks it's arms and legs in, and hurtles towards Bleak. "Get on top!" I yell. Bleak hops up, and rides on Gareth, terrified out of his mind.

I wait until the Blastoise is finished with the move, and yell, while Bleak is still on Gareth's head, "Thunder again!" As the last drops of rain fall, Bleak summons another bolt of lightning. It hits the Blastoise right on the head, and knocks him out immediately. Carla-Faye sighs, and recalls him.

"You're better than I thought. Bleak's TM-taught?" I nod. "Figures. Nice strategy." I thank her, and grin. "Okay, last pokemon. Hm... Lilia!" It's a Lickitung. "Uh..." I'm a bit stunned. She grins sheepishly. "Saved me from a flock of Butterfree when I was a kid. She's cool." I bite back a laugh, and call out Szeren.

"Let's try that new move! Spit Up!" Faye orders. I turn to Szeren. "Wait to use Dragonthrower. Okay, go for... Dragon Claw!" Her arm glows blue, and as Lilia spits a glob of saliva at her, she gets a swipe in across the stomach.

"_EEEEEEWWW!!! GERMS!!! FOR THE LOVE OF JESUS CHRIST, GEEEERRRMMMMSS!!" _Szeren roars like a madman as I stare in horror. "_GERMY GERMY GEEEERR—" _I slap her. "Shut up about the germs, already_! Jesus_! Use Dragonthrower!" She does so, but not before clipping me with her wing. "Ow, pain." I groan.

Erose sits at my feet, and giggles. "_Ew, germy_." I glare at him, and watch as Szeren gets the last strike in. Turning to Carla-Faye, she growls, "_This makes up for the Mudkip, understand?" _Carla-Faye nods. "I understand." She growls in acceptance, and plods over to me.

"_You too, missy." _I bite my lip, and look away. "Know I hath said nothing, milady." She growls at me. "Well, we've got a ride to catch. To Mossdeep." Drew declares. Carla-Faye decides to head there with her dad, and meet us later, and we're off.

(A/N: 1: REALLY! WTF is that thing, a fucking TOAD/DINO hybrid?! WHAT WENT WRONG!!!!???! 2: Her name_ is_ Lucida, not Lucy per se. It's just a nickname everyone uses so she doesn't sound like a fairy. 3: Quote from Lord Byron. Expect more of it.)


	25. We're the Wonder Pokemon! Or something!

(Okay, I don't own. And if your Salamence is named Ace, leave me alone. I named mine the same thing. God, I hate myself. I should've named her Gywnyvere or something. The Wonder Pokemon Trio make an appearance. This is what happens when you get sick, and have nothing to do but make fun of kid's cartoons.)

_We're flying. _I love flying, did I mention that? I do. It's the best. Szeren is speeding us to Mossdeep, and all is at peace. Sachiko is teaching Harley and Cacturne how to play poker. Wigglytuff seems deep in thought. But about what? I decide it's better for my mental health if I don't ask.

We're almost to Mossdeep. I can hear Harley swearing not too far from me; he's just lost pretty bad, like. Ah, well. I stretch, and slide off Szeren. I see Crash, first.

She's waving like a maniac, and in her arms is Faris, a few bandages peeking out of his shirt, but otherwise okay. I grin. Harley reaches her first, and swings her up. "Crash! Oh, sweetie, you're okay!" She nods, and then sighs.

"No hi to your future brother-in-law?" He pivots. Hands on his hips, (ignoring the rest of us, giggling like idiots over by Szeren), he announces, "Excuuuse me! I think _not!_ You're ten!" Faris raises an eyebrow.

"And this coming from the man who _refuses_ to date the woman he loves, won't even tell her, this even though they're both actually teenagers." I interrupt this little pissing contest before Harley kills him, and say hurriedly, "Crash, did you catch any new pokemon?" She nods.

"Faris got a Sableye, Gemaline. And I, well..." She releases a Spheal. It goes spinning around in circles as soon as he's called.

"_Whhheeeeeeeeeee!!!! I LIKE TOASTS, I SEZ!! MAKE ME A SAMMICH!" _He squeals, spinning like crazy in circles. "..." We all stare in horrified silence. "Yeah. His name's—"

"Crackwhore?" I suggest. She glares at me. "He named himself. He is Franklyn Metro Gerard Charles Xavier Baudelaire. The fifteenth." I raise an eyebrow.

"Franklyn Metro Gerard Charles Xavier Baudelaire. The fifteenth." I'm at a loss for words. For one, WTF? Two, who would name FIFTEEN pokemon this?!! WHO?!

"_Esquire_." She finishes. I sigh. "Oh, god." She shakes her head.

"Though _Crackwhore_ would've suited him just as well. Are you all ready for the Contest?" I nod. "Last one before the Grand Festival!" I know I have to win this.

(A/N: Because the authoress says so, like.) If not, then no Grand Festival. No chance to pound Harley into green-and-purple mush. I shudder at the thought.

Franklyn Metro Gerard Charles Xavier Baudelaire the fifteenth, (Esquire), stops at my feet.

"_Hi I like toast will you make me a sammich I like sammiches I like sheep do you like sheep why doesn't sheep have a plural and what does Medulla Oblongata mean because I don't know, and—" _

I stare at this Spheal, who shows no signs of stopping to care he has a giant run-on sentence going on.

Suddenly, Harley kicks him, sending the Spheal flying like a blue and cream soccer ball. "Big brother! Wha' the fuckity-fuck!?!" Crash swears. Harley points in silence to the water. Franklyn Metro Gerard Charles Xavier Baudelaire the fifteenth, (Esquire), was bobbing happily in the water. "_Wheee!" _She glares at him, and turns. "Well, shall we go to the Space Center?" I shrug.

"I'm game. We've got time." Crash nods, and recalling Franklyn Metro Gerard Charles Baudelaire, (Okay, hold up! It's Metro. Because my fingers are cramping up.) Okay, so she recalls Metro, and we're off.

As we board the elevator, I sigh, and stare up at the expanse of blue sky. I wish I knew what was up there. Whether or not that Entei wanted me whacked still. I think he was cutting my seizures off. I hadn't had one in ages. So, maybe he knew I could see them when I had one?

I was interrupted by Wigglytuff's yelling about something he saw in the sky. "_People, seriously! Giant thing at two o'clock!" _We were all gazing dreamily at the other side of the sky. "_When we all __die__, they're gonna be so sorry_." Wigglytuff hisses to Banette. A bit early for that, but he was close.

A giant burst of aura envelops the building. There's now a giant ship outside, and the window's broken. Not good. "What the HELL!?" I scream. "WHAT _NOW_?!"

"Boss! Boss! There she is!" I hear a woman's voice through the smoke. "I see." A man with spiky blue hair steps forward. "Hello, Lucy. I hate to intrude, but would you mind coming with me?" I know who he is. Galactic Boss Cyrus.

The crazy man who said he could open space and time with a Pokemon. As if he reads my thoughts, he says, "Since using Diagla and Palkia did not work, this time, I need to use you. You can open space and time, can you not?" I shake my head vigorously. "I don't know what you're talking about!" He frowns slightly.

"I see. Well, we can just force it out of you—Saturn, if you please." A man with forked blue hair glances at me, and grins. He steps forward—

"_We're the Wonder Pokemon! Come to save the day! Or something!" _I blink. What the hell...

It's Mesprit, Uxie, and Azelf. "Uh, hi?" I say, a bit freaked out. "_Lucy! Hi! You don't know us, but we're the ones who kinda... well, got you into this mess, and, uh... yeah. So we're here to save you. Or something." _Mesprit chirrups.

I want to die from embarrassment. This is who I get as a cavalry. Three pokemon, who are a bad rip-off of the Wonder Pets, apparently. I didn't even think they aired it in Hoenn.

"She's screwed." Harley mutters. They form a circle around me. "_Yeah, so, well, Uxie lied. She can't do shit; she's useless as fuck." _Azelf says. "Fuck you!" I yell angrily.

"_Make me!" _He shoots back. Uxie raises an eyebrow. (I think. Fucker's got slits for eyes.)

"_That's just insane." _Azelf whacks his brother over the head with his tail, and they all begin to argue. I sit in the middle of the bickering trio, and stare at Cyrus and his Commanders. "Go ahead. Try."

He reaches in to pull me out, when they realize they're supposed to be _rescuing _me, and they shoot a humongous Psywave at him. He flies back a good ten feet. "Damn. So force isn't working." He turns, and before I can register a thing, he's got a knife to Harley's neck. "So what the fuck, let's go for a hostage situation."

Harley screeches, "Hey, back the fuck up here! I am a man, damnit! No matter how feminine I may be, I should _not_ be the one held hostage!" I raise an eyebrow.

"Sexism aside, I'm the one trying not to be kidnapped. They can't use me as a hostage." He's at a loss for words.

"What about May?" He offers. May shrieks, "HEY!" and hits Drew.

"What the fuck!? What did I do?" He roars. May huffs. "I can't hit him, can I?"

Cyrus seems to be rethinking this insanity. He doesn't see Erose sneak up behind him. I do, and I grin. "What are you laughing at—"

"Erose, Poisonpowder!" I shriek. He releases a cluster of purpley spores, which land on Cyrus and the Commanders. "Now Razor Leaf!" I order him quickly. He shoots out a bunch of shuriken-leaves, and strikes them all in the head. "_Scram, bitches! Or I'll get my posse on you_!" His 'posse' is a cluster of plastic plants. He never learned.

As Cyrus turns to step back onto the waiting ship, he glares at me. "You're dead the next time we meet, kid. I will get space and time to open, if I have to kill you to do it." Then they're gone. I sigh. "Erose saved the day. Who knew?"

Harley's still muttering indignantly about his hostage-ness. I glare at him. "Shut up. Just shut up, before I think I might kill myself." He does so.

"Fuck, this place is ruined." Drew notes. I sigh. "Well, it can't get worse—"

A giant Metagross comes crashing through the wall.

"Fuck." I sigh. Steven Stone is on top of the giant metal beast... thing. Yeah. Thing. "What on earth happened here?" I look around. Uxie, Mesprit, and Azelf are all still there, arguing. "Guys! Mind explaining this?!" I yell. They turn to look at me.

"_Right. Okay, so, this dude Cyrus, he was like, let's kidnap Lucy, because Uxie lied and said she can open space and time, the sonofabitch, and now, like, well we saved her. Well, her Bulbasaur saved her, but you get the point. So, like, it's ruined. Yeah_." Mesprit says hurriedly. Steven is just stunned.

"Lucy Saxon." I nod. "That'd be me. Nice to meet you, but under the circumstances..." He nods. "Charmed. I need to alert the League; there's been reports of Aqua and Magma surfacing again, and I think it's gonna be bad." I nod, already sickened.

He sweeps me over. "You know... you look like a girl I fought with, once. She had the same name as you. And the eyes. You wouldn't happen to be..." I don't know whether or not to tell him the truth.

"Maybe." I say clearly. He nods. "Then we're going to need your help again this time around." He turns back to Metagross, and now they're both off. Harley blinks. "Great way to spend the day, huh?" Crash kicks him. Mesprit, Azelf, and Uxie all salute me, and disappear.

We head out of the burnt and ruined top floor of the Space Station, and rush right to the shopping center. Thankfully, no one there tries to blow us up, but Wigglytuff keeps saying, '_I told you so!' _, until Ariados tied him up with String Shot.

Yeah.

The afternoon passed quickly, and soon enough, we were back at the Contest Hall. I ask Erose if he wants to Appeal or fight. "_Hell no on the Appeal. I'll fight, if ya want_." I nod. "Okay, sure." I decide to get dressed earlier, and I throw on a simple black top, and a champange-lace-and-black skirt. I decide against makeup, and I browse through my PC.

"Hmmm..." I never thought I'd have so many pokemon at my disposal. I have five boxes worth. I need strong pokemon for the Grand Festival. I wince, hating myself. I was probably going to send Erose to Oak's Lab. But May had her Bulbasaur there, so I figured he'd be fine. And an abundance of _real _plants, hopefully.

I scroll through. I have issues with Dragon Pokemon. I want my Salamence, Ace-Face. Well, Ace, really. She was such a friggin bitch to raise. Level 50. From what was a level fifteen Bagon. So I withdrew her.

I walk outside to the training field, and throw up her pokeball. "Ace-Face, spotlight!" She zooms out, and careens over the field. Glorious wings. I had always felt so bad for Bagon, and I was thrilled when I found out that someday, they could indeed have wings.

All the Coordinators stop and stare at Ace. Why not? She's a Salamence; pretty fuckin' rare. I see a few kids training Shelgon, and these Coordinators are staring at me with envy. I sigh. "I know, it's a bitch."

Ace lights down. "_Mommy, look! You gave me wings!" _I nod slowly. "Looks like. Are you ready to try Contests?" She thinks. "_I guess. Can I fly?" _I come up with a plan, and nod, already thinking of our victory. "Indeed. You can fly."

After I head back inside, I keep Ace-Face a secret. I feel guilty, but then I just don't care. As usual. There are a lot more crowds this time. I see so many people, and I can't help but feel a bit nervous.

I shake my head, and steel myself for my Appeal. I shiver, as he calls name after name. And then I curse when Harley is first. He sticks his tongue out, and _prances out,_ for the love of christ. I sigh, and watch him throw out the first pokeball on his belt. "Octillery, let's go! Fire Blast!" He orders the octopus, who complies.

Sucking in a giant breath, he exhales a stream of flames, which splits five times to form a star. But the star soon slopes downward, and becomes a five-pronged cage.

With that in mind, you'll know exactly why I was screaming his name when he stepped through the pillars of fire.

He heard my screams, and tilted his head to look at me. Grinning, he blew me a kiss, and yelled, "Don't worry, dollface!" I groaned, and just gave up. It was the thing he was going to call me for what was most likely eternity.

_**Fuck.**_


	26. Dates of insanity! Guest starring Jesus!

(Okay, I don't own. If you are a Christian, and easily offended, skip the Jesus joke. After the stuff I've endured at the hands of Catholic evangelicals, I am not a huge fan of the Jeebus Squad. Sorry. Anyway, I GOT 100+ REVIEWS!!!!!!!

Thank you so much, all my loyal reviewers! And Galbinus-Rayquaza, my 100th. Go read her stories; she's a really good writer who writes both Hoenn and Contest shipping. YAY!)

I glare at him for a bit, and then decide to actually pay attention to Drew's Appeal. I stare at Roselia. That thing always reminded me of a junkie. No, I'm serious. S/he had these narrowy, lazy, stoned-looking eyes. And it was just CREEPY.

Roselia performed with Petal Dance, and then suddenly produced a complete rose. Drew waltzed over to May, and gently placed the rose in her hand. "Awww..." Harley's sentiment and mine were echoed by the crowd. I grinned, as May Appealed, rose in her hand, and blushing.

"That'll be us someday." Harley remarks. I jump. "_What?!" _I yelp. He sees my face, and says, "Nothing, nothing!"

But he sighs, and I see the sadness in his face. So I hug him. And we stay like that, just hugging each other until it's time for my Appeal.

I rush out, and grab Ace's pokeball. "Ace-face, spotlight! Up!" I yell. She soars above, so close to the ceiling that I brush it with my fingertips. "Dragonbreath!" I yell. She spews purplish-blue flames at the floor. "Catch me." I whisper, and jump off. But she doesn't, for a long time, so close I can almost touch the flames, so close I—

She's caught me, and we're flying back into the wings. I hug her neck, and slide off. I walk back to my spot, and sit next to Harley, and watch a few appeals. The pokemon all seem as tense as their trainers. I finger Erose's pokeball, and hope he's stronger than he looks.

Harley is before me; he fights a girl with a Granbull, and for once, Wigglytuff is out-psychoed. This thing ignores everything but whatever it can bite. "_Sweet Jesus, Harley, DO SOMETHING_!!" Wigglytuff roars as he's chased by the Granbull. Harley sweatdrops.

"Uhh..." Wigglytuff sees his master's going to be of no help, and produces a pair of brass knuckles from god-knows-where. "_MEGA PUNCH, BITCH_!!" Wigglytuff roars. Slamming both fists into the Granbull's face, he faints, and Wigglytuff is declared the winner. I can't do anything but crack up.

It's eventually my turn. I toss Erose's pokeball thoughtfully, as my opponent comes out. She seems simple enough; a peaceful, brown-haired girl. "Hi!" I wave. She smiles, and throws a pokeball. "Let's go, Croconaw!" I smile. I have the type advantage. Plus, Erose is crazy.

"Erose, go! Let's use, uh, Razor Leaf!" I yell. He's way ahead of me. As the girl orders Croconaw to use Water Gun, Erose has already struck. He leaps back. "Vine Whip!" I call.

"Use Bite!" The girl orders her pokemon. The blue crocodile opens his mouth, and lunges towards Erose. I nod at him to stay there. The Croconaw's jaws close around his bulb, and then I strike. "Seed Bomb!" I order him. Grinning, he unleashes a machine-gun fire of seeds into the Croconaw's maw.

The Croconaw lets go, as his trainer says, "Hydro Pump!" I shake my head. "Vine Whip! Around his legs." Erose grins maniacally, and cinches the vines tight. He does the side-to-side bash so often seen in cartoons.

"_MUHAHAHA! GO, MY PLANT POSSE!" _He roars like a crazy person. I sigh. "Let go, Erose. _Now." _He groans, but complies, releasing the Croconaw.

Teetering, the Croconaw wobbles as if drunk, and then stumbles, about to fall. "One last time! Let's use Leech Seed!" He nods, and shoots out little seeds that burst on the Croconaw, and give Erose energy.

The clock dings—the crowd's cheering, and I've won. I'm going to the Grand Festival.

I get presented with my ribbon, and silently, I stick it in my case gently. I don't speak again until we've headed out of the hall.

Then I turn to Harley, and tell him, "I am pwning your ass in this Festival. Just thought you'd like to know." He laughs.

"You only wish, dollface! I'm the better Coordinator out of the two of us." I kick him, and pout. "I got five Ribbons." He produces his case. "Dollface, so did I."

We clamber onto Szeren, and head right out of Mossdeep, straight back to Lilycove.

'_Now is the time for my plans to come to fruition.' _Wigglytuff mutters. "What?" Harley asks his pokemon. "_Nothing, it's nothing!" _

It was something, however. And as we'd find out later that night, not something good.

* * *

-_Third Person POV-_

"_Alright, people. You know our mission_." Wigglytuff announced solemnly. "_I am sick of seeing those two give goo-goo eyes at each other. You can hear the hormones bubble. We are here today to hook two teenagers up, horny and in love. We are getting Lucy and Harley together. Even if it kills you." _The others stare in pure horror.

"_But not me. You're all expendable. I, however, need to take over the world someday, therefore, cannot die_." He finishes.

Zero, however was unsure about Wigglyuff's plans. The great tiger dog was loyal to his master, goddess bless him, and voiced his doubts. "_But if Lucy doesn't want to be Harley-friend's mate, then she knows best. We should not interfere." _Cacturne rolled an eyeball in his direction.

"_From how they've behaved so far, we can't trust them to figure this out on their own. Trust me, I've known him the longest; Harley's head is harder than a Relicanth's. We have to listen to Wigglytuff, or those two will end up exploding from unrequited love." _He finished.

Banette, Octillery, and Ariados all agreed with these sentiments about their trainer, effectively throwing him under the bus. The metaphorical one. There is no real bus, because if there was, Harley would be dead, and his pokemon would be murdering, psychopathic fucks. Yeah.

Wigglytuff nodded. "_So it's settled. You guys in this?" _He was addressing May and Drew's pokemon. Masquerain nodded. "_Any way we can help, we will." _Wigglytuff rubbed his furry paws together.

"_Good, good. Well, here's our plan. We make reservations at some fancy-ass restaurant, and send them each a letter telling the other to meet them there. Roselia, I need roses, stat_." S/he nods, and produces six or seven on each hand in various colors.

"_Great. Erose, bind these things with Vine Whip._" The plant dinosaur nods, and ties the roses together. "_Alright, now. Who's making the reservations_?" All eyes were on Wigglytuff.

"_You know, just... fuck you, alright_?!" He mutters. He sighs in exasperation at their stupidity. "_Get me a phone_." Zero clamps Lucy's cell gently in his jaws, and pads over to Wigglytuff, placing the cherry-colored phone into Wigglytuff's waiting paw.

Curling his... finger...things... around it, he dialed the number for La Bella Lilycove. '_Yes, hello. I'd like to place a reservation under the name... Davidson, Harley. Great. Thanks." _Wigglytuff hangs up the phone. "_Thank god for Translators." _

He organizes the other pokemon into executing his plans. With this dedication, he really might take over the world someday.

_

* * *

-Lucy's POV-_

Well, this is just great. We have no idea where the pokemon are. Everyone's gone. I sigh, and reach for my cell phone. But it isn't there. "Oh, fuck." I mutter angrily.

"What's wrong?" Drew asks. I snarl angrily, ready to kill someone. "My fuckin' cell phone's gone! Where could it be—" I yell, annoyed, until I see Eevee pad up to me with my phone in her mouth. "Bless you, fox." I grab the phone, and see the text message sign pop up. "What the..." I open it.

'_From: Harley_

_To: Dollface_

_Dearest, I was wondering if you would meet me at La Bella Lilycove for dinner. Just you and I. See you there!_

_Mwah, _

_Harley'_

I blink. "Well, um. That's... nice..." Szeren growls, "_Do it!" _at me. And I do not want to mess with a Charizard obviously hellbent on this. I nod. "Okay..." I shut the phone. And like anyone else who was in love, I immediately stressed about what to wear.

Unbeknownst to me, Harley was receiving the same message, delievered by Wigglytuff. "Uh, my Pokenav!? Where'd you find that?" He asked incredulously. Wigglytuff pressed it into his hand. "Message? From... Lucy?" He flipped open the bit of machinery, and scrolled down.

'_Hey Harley, _

_I made reservations at La Bella Lilycove, for the two of us! See you there! Six o'clock, okay? _

_--Lucy'_

He shut the phone. "Well. I..." As Wigglytuff walked away in triumph, Harley squealed, "WHAT AM I GONNA WEAR?!!"

It was five o'clock. And I was desperate. So I went to the only other girl I knew.

"May, for the love of Jesus, you have to help me." I groaned, slumping against a wall in the Pokemon Center. She sighed.

"Aww, how adorable! He asks you out, just in time for Christmas!" I jump. It is Christmas. In... I check my cell. "December twentieth. Holy crap." I gape. "Okay, great. So what do I do to, you know, look good...?"

Pathetic as it sounds, it's not like I ever had to _impress _anyone, what with my stunning looks, sex appeal, and great personality or anything.

Right. I was so fucked.

May was lecturing me intently. "No heavy eyeshadow. You'll look like a raccoon. A bit of light eyeliner, especially with your eyes. Okay, now. Clothes. Whatcha got?" I sheepishly held up a pair of pants, and a black top.

"I used all my dresses in the Contest. Don't kill me." She sighs, and fingers the design on the shirt. Little red things that look a bit like hearts... until you get close. They're dead rats, each with a custom pool of blood!

Yeah, I'm crazy.

She sighs in exsperation. "Oh, great. Well, put it on! We've got makeup and hair to do!"

_Five-thirty_.

I am fully convinced this woman is trying to kill me.

"Ouch! Fucking EYE here!" I wail, as May applies eyeliner. "Hold still!" She snaps.

"I would, if you didn't POKE ME constantly!" I shriek back. She yanks out a straightener. "You haven't brushed your hair in days."

It's a statement. A dangerous one.

"GET AWAY FROM ME WITH THAT THING!!!"

For now, let's go to Harley...

_

* * *

-Harley's POV-_

Argh! Nothing to fucking WEAR! "Fuck, fuckity, fuck, fuck... just... ARGH!" I bang my head against the wall. Makeup is out of the question. I am NOT asking Drew to help me, either. For two reasons; one, he is idly doodling a picture of his beloved and most esteemed May darling; two, I really do NOT want to bring this up.

So I am merely content to swear angrily, as Drew ignores me best as the arrogant bastard can. I decide, finally, to rifle through my bag for clothes. I find some decent shirts, but my finger brush against something. Something flat. Pulling it out, I note in horror... it's a condom.

'_Love, Sarah.'_

...God smite me now.

Shoving it back in my bag at the speed of sound, I yank out a pair of pants before rushing off to change. "I am going to kill my mother." I mutter angrily, as I yank on the clothes.

"Let he who is without sin be the first to condemn." I mutter, in frustration and annoyance. I've played my share of pranks, after all.

I hear a –_pop_!-, and a burst of trumpet music. There's a man standing there, entirely in white. I blink.

"Holy crap, JESUS?! What the hell are you doing here!?" (1) I shriek. Seriously. Fuckin' fic.

"I'm_ everywhere." _He poofs off before I can open my mouth. But when I find my voice, I just say, "Perv."

Yeah, I'm going to hell.

* * *

-_Lucy's POV-_

Six o'clock.

May wasn't too bad, after all. The straightener caused some screaming, but nothing much. I'm used to it. So now, to wait for Harley. As if on cue, he bursts in, and I quirk an eyebrow. He's... normal. His Cacturne outfit is gone, replaced by a simple tight black shirt, and a pair of jeans. And he looked good. Hips swaying, he raises an eyebrow. "Lovely dead rats you've got there."

"Go to hell." I mutter. He grins at me, the bastard. "Love you too, dollface." Fuming, he gets us seated, and immediately begins to ask why the hell I brought him here. I blink.

"You sent me a message saying you wanted me here." I open my cell phone and show him. He gapes. "...But I, I got one from you! What the hell..." I shake my head.

"I don't know what happened, but since you're here, we might as well stay." An awkward silence descends. I really don't know what to say, but my mouth doesn't care about that.

"What were you like when you were a kid?" I blurt out. He blinks.

"Oh... right, you just got here! You know, it seems like you've always been here with me." He burns bright red as he says this. "Anyway, uh, so... well, when I was nine or so, I went out exploring in the desert around Route 111. I stepped in a puddle of quicksand, and Cacturne saved me. Well, he was a Cacnea then, but you get my point. He agreed to come with me when I turned ten."

I giggle at the picture of Harley being saved by a midget Saguaro cactus. Wait. I just giggled. EWWW! I'm turning into, I don't know, some preppy little Gabriella/Hannah Montana clone!! _**ARGH!!!**_ Harley continues, unawares of my agony.

"And I found Wigglytuff at a breeding center. He wasn't adopted because he was a dude, and I liked his insanity. Banette was orginally a Shuppet." He smiles to himself. "He was so shitty as scaring people. I had to love the little spook." He twirls his straw.

"And Octillery just randomly attacked me while I was swimming. He tried to hug me in the water." He and I both laughed picturing that. He straightens.

"And Ariados was from cleaning out the attic. He was holed up near my mom's old shit." He sighed happily, remembering good times.

"How did you know you want to be a Coordinator?" I ask. He shrugs. "It just suited me. The lights, the sounds, the battle, and the beauty. Besides, they already called me a fag." He dismisses this with a wave of his hand. "Homophobic assholes."

"They do it on Earth too." I snarl. He shakes his head. "IT hurts, doesn't it? But that's not the point. May we enjoy ourselves?" I jump. Dinner's arrived. As we sit and eat, he asks me, "So, how'd you start? I know it's weirder circumstances, but I do want to know."

I tell him, "Well, Szeren was my first. Then Whiplash the Glitchicate, and Vita the alcoholic, and the others. I had a pretty average journey, for the games." He blinks at me.

"Says the girl who's beaten the Champ in each reigon." I blush. "Oh, right, well..." I am tongue-tied. I don't know why, but it sucks.

We sit in silence, but this time, it's a comfortable one. "Lucy, I well, I..." Harley takes a breath. "Well, since I met you, I have always felt you were, well, special, and uh... what I'm trying to say is, I uh, well, uh, I..."

My phone rings.

"Goddamnit!" I pick it up. Harley's eye is twitching. "Saxon here." I listen to Drew on the other line, and nod. Hanging up, I turn to Harley. "Right. Well, whatever you had to say is gonna have to wait. We've gotta go." Throwing some money on the table, I breeze out.

"Wait!" Harley calls after me. He sighs.

"I was going to tell you I loved you."

(1: Okay, so? It's randomly funny. I am not a huge fan of most Christian people. Some? Nice. Others? Homophobic assholes who try to make women's live miserable. So I have a laugh as Jeebus' expense. Don't kill me.)


	27. Child's Rage! Christmas Eve eve!

(We now return to our regularly scheduled crap. Damned One out. Don't own.)

Harley trailing after me, I rush back to the pokemon center. Drew's waiting for us. "It's about damn time. The League needs to see you." I wince.

"That's not good." He beckons for all of us to follow him, and with Squirtle the Neurotic Turtle gripping May's head, we set off for the makeshift headquarters.

"That important, huh?" I sigh. I bang on the apartment door. "We're here, you pricks! Lemme in!" The door opens. It's Wallace.

"_Oui_, you're here. We noticed." I stick my tongue out at him, and walk in. Steven sees me, and nods. "Hello, Lucy." I stare at the Gym Leaders and Elite Four that have gathered here. Lance the Dragon-Master is sitting on one of the chairs, along with the Elite Four of Kanto.

"Holy crap, _I beat you_. Like, fifty times." He blinks. "Uh, what?" I sigh, and release Szeren. "Remember this Charizard?" He stares in shock, but before he can ask, Steven interjects.

"Look, Lucy. Something's... different. About you, I mean. Team Aqua and Magma are active again, and _Mesprit, Uxie,_ and _Azelf_ saved you from Team Galactic. They're not even a _major organization _in Hoenn. Who are you?" I sigh.

"You wouldn't believe me." He glares at me. "Kid, I saw you take down Cyrus. I saw all of that happen, remember. I'll believe anything you say." I sigh.

"Fine then. My name is Lucida Saxon. I got shot in the head, and ended up here. I've played the pokemon games since I was three, and have beaten each and every one of you. Lorelei, Bruno, Agatha, Lance, and my rival in the game. Who was Gary Oak, technically. Kicked your asses first."

They're stunned, and rightly so. I roll my eyes. "I had a Mew and an albino Raticate. Come on, I'm not that easy to forget." I turn to the other three, and Lance again.

"Right. Will, Bruno, Koga, Karen, and Lance. Beat you again. Seriously. Girl with Mew, Charizard, Umbreon, Suicune, Celebi, and Typhlosion. People, come on." I now turned to the Hoenn Elite.

"Okay, Phoebe, Glacia, Sid, Drake, Steven, and Wallace. Again, girl with Mew, Rayquaza, Charizard, Blaziken, shiny Mightyena, and Absol. _**Come on**_." I sigh.

"And finally, Sinnoh. Flint, Lucian, Cynthia, Aaron, and Bertha. Infernape, Luxray, Palkia, Lucario, Roserade, and Crobat. A simpler team, but still." I take a breath.

"I'm the girl who thwarted Team Rocket, and managed to stop Team Rocket for a second time in Johto, and stopped them for good. I am the girl who tamed Rayquaza. The girl whose heart was so pure that she could summon Suicune. I am the Champion of every region, Master Coordinator, and blah, blah, _blah_. I did this in all of the games. I beat you all." I take another, shakier, breath.

"But you know what, so did about _ten million _other people. But obviously, I'm special enough for some reason that I, out of all of the pokemon players, was chosen for this honor of arriving here." They all seem a bit surprised by my declaration, but I continue.

"I don't know WHY, or HOW this happened. Nor do I care, I'm having fun here." I stop. "I'll help you however I can, but I don't know what I can do." I finish, and look at all of them.

Wallace is the first to find his voice. "I...I... see. You're... her, that girl with the Rayquaza..." I nod. "His name's Hiromi." Mouth agape, he nods.

Silently.

"I told you she had the same eyes." Steven tells Wallace triumphantly. "_Tais-toi_!" (1)

I roll my eyes. "So what do you want me to do?" Lance speaks now.

"Lucy, act like nothing's happening. Go to the Grand Festival, and all that. Have fun. But something will go down. And we'll need you and your Legends, girl." He presses a sleek, poketch like thing into my hand.

"We'll send for you when you're needed. Go, have fun, and good luck." I nod, and rush out. Before we leave, Szeren turns and grins. "_Remember boy, she beat you. And she didn't even have more than one dragon." _

I sigh, and watch my breath steam as we step outside. I turn to Harley, who's looking at the stars with me. "Hey, in the restaurant... what were you going to say?" I ask him. He turns red, and looks down. "I was going to say that I lo—"

I ignore him. "A shooting star!" I point up. "Make a wish!" He rolls his eyes. '_You know what I wish for? That I can tell this girl I love her without fucking being INTERRUPTED.' _He thinks angrily.

Alas, not to be. Yet.

I put my ipod in. "We don't have a Christmas tree." I note offhandedly. "And...?" Harley asks. I look away, embarrassed.

"I know this is gonna sound really stupid... but, I've always wanted a Christmas tree. We never ever had one." He sighs.

"Okay. Well, then a Christmas tree you shall have." I grin. "Really, Harley?! Thank you!" I tackle him, and I realize it's cold. I look up. "It's SNOWING!" I squeal. The flakes are melting in my hair, but I like it, so it doesn't matter.

We all walk back in silence, back to the Pokemon Center. As we get ready for bed, I think of my final pokemon for the festival. They'll have to be a secret. Super-special. I sneak out to the PC, and scroll through. "Damn..." I want so desperately to use Shadow the Missingno, but it's out of the question. FUCK.

Rrrgh. Who to use? One of my numerous Legends? My super-powerful starters? My... my... I close my eyes, and press a button. Whatever profile pops up, I'm using. I read, "Lachrymose. Gardevoir." I blink.

Oh, yes, Lachrymose. The Gardevoir I spent FIVE DAMN HOURS out in a patch of grass looking for. Argh. This led to my intense hatred for Wally, I think. HE gets a goddamn Ralts on his first fuckin' try. WTF!?!

I figure a Psi is strong. But I've got three days, so I close the PC, and snuggle back close to Sachiko, who snores, but is like a furry heating pad. So I don't care.

The next morning, the Coordinators all start to pour in. Oh, crap. A bunch of well-dressed little ten-year-olds, who stare at half-asleep me like I'm the plague. "Fuck you, I want coffee." Erose is interrogating May about her Bulbasaur.

"_So is she cute_?" He asks hopefully. "Uh, I'm... you know, human. I can't really say." He pouts. "_Damn. Plants there_?" She nods. "Lots." He grunts evilly.

"_Good, good_." May just sighs, as I make my way through everyone, grab my bag, and decide to go Christmas shopping. I immediately head for the toy store; by god, I want pokedolls.

And if they don't like them, I keep them. Which was kinda my plan all along.

I stop and stare. "Wow." I immediately grab about fifty. Rayquaza, Charizard, Umbreon, and all of my other favorites. I get one of each pokemon on their team for the others, and, with about five bags, march out onward.

I see about fifty Coordinators shopping for outfits. I shrug. "What the hell, why not." I walk into the store, and browse for clothes. This is a pretty important event, after all. I pick a pair of embroidered black jeans, with Rayquazas embroidered up the legs. Grinning, I decided to wear the dead rat shirt. Why not?

I see Dawn, and frown. "Couldn't have stayed in your region, huh?" I mutter angrily. Sighing, I pay for my stuff, and finally get down to serious shopping. Custom pokeballs for May, grooming kit for Drew, and... I grin wickedly, and grab a huge makeup kit for Harley.

Sniggering to myself, I shove this crap in my bag, and hightail it back to the pokemon center for some practice. I call out Szeren, and yell, "Dragonthrower!" She complies, and I watch with amusement.

This could indeed be her most powerful move yet. Goody. I clap, and call out Bleak. "Blizzard!" I call. He does the same trick we did in the first Contest, and I note with satisfaction that we can add a Thunder with the Rain Dance, now. He's turned out to be a splendid Appealer.

I practice with Sachiko and Zero for a bit. I think I might use Bleak and Szeren in the Battle Appeals. They can back each other up.

Electric, Ice, Fire, Dark, and Dragon-type moves. So I'm pretty covered. But they're for my final Appeal. Maybe Zero and Ace in the first round? I think so. Then Lachrymose and Sachiko for round 2. Okay, I think we're good.

I recall them, and turn on my ipod. Sitting on a bench watching the others practice, I see a ten-year-old with brown hair practicing alone. I stroll up to her, and wave.

"Hi. My name's Lucy. Do you need someone to practice with?" She nods, and looks down at her pokeball. "Yeah, I do. MY name's Bianca. Me and Vallerie haven't practiced much yet." I nod, and grab Bleak's pokeball.

"Okay, if you want, I'm game." She doesn't reply, just throws out a pokeball. "Vallerie, go!" A Venonat hops out. "Ven-o-nat!" I squeal.

"Awww, so cute!" I throw out Bleak's pokeball. "Bleak, Flamethrower!" He breathes out a giant burst of flames, but the Venonat hops up into the air.

"Okay, Vallerie! Use Lock On, then Posionpowder!" The Venonat's eyes glow blue, then she unleashes a cloud of poison. Bleak staggers, a bit weakened. "Rain Dance! Wash it off!" He does so, and is revitalized.

"Good! Thunder!" He takes advantage of the rain, and leaps down, striking the Venonat. The Venonat staggers, as I call, "Flamethrower, one more time!" He strikes quickly, and the Venonat faints.

Bianca recalls her pokemon. "You... you fainted Vallerie." She points a shaking finger at me. "I WILL DESTROY YOU IN THE FESTIVAL!!!" She runs off wailing, and I am left with Bleak, both of us giving a 'WTF?' look.

"See, this is why ten-year-olds should NOT be allowed to go on journeys." I complain to Harley later, after recounting the experience. "They're just too immature."

He raises an eyebrow, and comments, "Excuse me, just _who _went on the journey at, oh I don't know, _three?" _I glare angrily at him, and flip him off.

"That was completely different. I didn't freak out when I lost, not like that!" I rant angrily. 'So you suck, big deal! GET BETTER!" I roar. He stares. And then slowly, slowly, inches away.

"I...see..." Cacturne raises a nonexistent eyebrow. "_So, your point...?" _I pout. "People suck."

"May and Drew are fighting outside, and it's getting pretty intense." Harley notes. I look outside. Skitty versus Roselia. I call out to May, "Bitch-Slap!" She gets my point, and orders Skitty to use Iron Tail and Doubleslap. It works, miracle of miracles. Roselia faints.

Drew glares at me, as I smirk. "Take that." I turn back to my book, and leaf through a few pages.

The next two days pass like this, until it's the day before the Grand Festival, and the day before Christmas Eve. So, it's Christmas Eve... eve. Right.

Harley is out in the forests by Mt. Pyre, searching for an evergreen tree. "Don't these things EXIST!?" He roars, punching a tree in anger. He looks up. "Wow. It's an evergreen tree." Banette rolls his eyes.

"_Hello, Deus Ex Machina." _Harley curls his lip, and kicks the ghost puppet, and just passes through. "_Nyah-nyah-nyah." _Harley doesn't reply.

"Christmas lights. NOW. And ornaments." He orders his pokemon. "_Where are we supposed to find these?_" Wigglytuff growls. He hands them a bag.

"Here. So help me god, if you're not back here in twenty minutes..." He makes the finger-throat gesture.

As they set off, Wigglytuff mutters, "_Big deal. You have fingernails, I have guns. 'Nuff said." _They acquiesce, however, and come back in fifteen minutes with lights, tinsel, the whole shebang. He raises an eyebrow. "Nice. Now, let's get to work."

(Notes: Tais-toi is the French word for 'Shut up!' It's a rather rude way of saying it, however.)


	28. Lucy, kiss him! Heavenly Eyes!

(Because we all knew it would happen. Meh. Anyways, I have an Xmas pageant tonight; wish me luck. I think I'm gonna kill myself so I get out of it. Love acting. Do NOT love crappy songs. I don't own. Also, expect sorrow and broken hearts in three chapters or so. Please don't kill me.)

_

* * *

-Harley's POV-_

Goddamn, decorating a tree is hard work.

Or maybe that's just Wigglytuff, who isn't helping much. Just doing his own thing, throwing knives, the usual.

I sigh, and throw another strand of tinsel over the tree.

I asked Ariados to string the lights. Bad idea. They're now fused onto the tree with spider silk.

You know, if I had just done it myself...

I shake my head, and hang another ornament on the tree. We're almost done, and good timing, too; it's almost sunset on Christmas Eve eve. I just needed an excuse to say that, I really did. Such is life.

I roll my eyes at my own stupidity, and ask Banette to attach the star. Shrugging, he floats up and does so. I step back, and admire my awesomeness. I am already imagining Lucy's reaction.

'_Oh, Harley, it's perfect!' She'd say, hugging me. "I love you so much!" And then, then...'_

"_HARLEY! ARE YOU COMING?_!" Octillery roars from the top of the hill. I jump. "R-right!" Fantasies forgotten, at least for now, I race after my pokemon.

_

* * *

-Lucy's POV-_

Where is he? He's been gone for a whole day... "I'm worried." I announce to May and Drew, both of whom shrug. "He tends to disappear for awhile. He'll be back soon, I'm sure." I am still a bit frantic, until at sunset, Harley waltzes in with a wicked grin on his face.

I know better than to ask, and keep my bloody mouth shut. He hums a Christmas song, and adjusts the hem of his shirt. "You're willfully ignoring me." I growl. He raises an eyebrow.

"Indeed. It's part of your present." I decide to ignore his ramblings, and go outside to train more. No sign of crazy Bianca, so I decide to train Sachiko. "Fire Spin!" I yell.

Her tails go swirling madly, into nine flaming streaks, crackling and popping like a bowl of Rice Krispies on crack. I sigh at my own analogy, and order a Will-O'-the-Wisp, leaving the ground burnt purple and blue.

The kids are watching me intently, and I realize they're amazed by a scruffy teen like me owning a Ninetales. Sachiko and I face them. I grin wolfishly at them, running a hand through my hair.

"Well? Anyone willing to challenge me?" The kids are checking their pokeballs, considering the strategies, and their pokemon. One girl steps forward. "I am." I nod.

"Lucy." She accepts this, and smiles. "Diana." She throws out her pokeball. "Mange!" It's a Manectric. The electric wolf barks at me, then turns to his trainer, awaiting orders. I shrug, and nod to Sachiko.

Diana doesn't waste any time. "Thunderbolt." I order a Fire Blast, and then a Flame Wheel in succession. Sachiko's tails alight, and she spins, so each tail slaps the Manectric in the face. He howls in pain, and uses Discharge.

Paralyzed for the moment, Sachiko stumbles. "Thunder!" I sigh. "Crap... 'Chiko! Fire Ball!" I hoped this would work; I'd based it off Vita's pink bubble thing.

The general idea of the attack was that the used surrounded themselves in a cocoon of fire, thereby incinerating any attack that struck.

She certainly knew how to put on quite the show. Covering herself completely, she was both obscured from view, and protected from the lightning.

And on fire. Always bonus points for being on fire.

I grinned, as Manectric seemed to be quite weakened from the blast of concentrated electricity.

"Finish this! Flamethrower!" She nodded, and spat a torrent of flames at the Manectric, who howled, hidden from sight in the smoke and flames.

When these cleared, Diana sighed, and recalled Mange. "Thanks for the practice, Lucy." I nod, and smiled. "Hey, no problem. No worries; you're really good. We've just been training for a long time." She nods, and heads off with her friends. Sachiko grins up at me, as we head inside.

"_Lucy? Lucy, can we go out and explore?" _Zero begs me. "Okay. But only to about the Safari Zone, got it?" I yell something along those lines to the others, and race out, swinging up on Zero.

He speeds forward eagerly, ready to rush forward. We speed throughout Lilycove, attracting quite a few stares. Unsurprised, I urge him forward, to the Safari Zone.

It's there I hear quite a lot of angry arguing.

"Sheena, we were TOO supposed to go this way! Lilycove's EAST, not WEST, dumbass!" I blinked. Outside of Ramones songs, the only person I knew named Sheena was Harley's sister...

"Sheena! Shellie!" I yell. They look up, a bit rough around the edges, but okay. And apparently lost. They recognize me, and yell. "LUCY! Harley's girlfriend!" I roll my eyes.

"Wev. You guys heading to Lilycove?" Shellie nods. "Yup, us and the rest of them!" I wince. Seven trainers. "Oh, and Sarah and Haruka, Amaranth, and Jade are coming too, only Ama's a trainer now, so..." I sigh.

"Harley's going to be _thrilled." _They sigh. "We're waiting for the others..." As if on cue, Maxine, Zacky, and Diana burst into the clearing. "Did you find Lilycove?" Zacky asks, a Manectric and a Mawile by his side. I nod.

"This way." They all smile, and clamber on Zero. As I bring them to Lilycove, they all tell me about their journey so far. They've caught a bunch of pokemon, and are almost to the League, but that pales in comparison to this fact;

Oh, and Crash has a girlfriend, and so does Harley, because they're the oldest. Is it me?

I wince, and nod. "I suppose..." I roll my eyes, expecting Harley's reaction. I think he likes me, I really do.

But...

But he is—(was, I remind myself firmly), a TV character. But I'm here, and real, so that must mean he's real, too.

So it's okay, I know it is. It doesn't matter. I slide off Zero, and stand outside as I listen for the sounds of Harley, Crash, and Faris being mobbed by small children. Harley gets it first.

"But... if you guys are here... then Sarah..." Again on cue, Sarah marches through Lilycove. "Octillery, OCTAZOOKA, PLEASE!!" Harley begs the pokemon, but his mother has already hugged him, blathering on about how lovely it is I am apparently _married _to him.

Sometimes, I wonder which Lucy she's talking about.

I head outside, ignoring Harley's pleas for mercy, 'cause it's funny. I sit at the edge of the ocean, and watch the tide come in until the sun sets. I smile, and watch the sun slip below the water, and the moon rise.

"Christmas Eve is coming soon..." I muse thoughtfully, wishing for presents, and eggnog. With rum. I head back to the center, where, thankfully, Sarah and Co. have cleared out, to head to a hotel. Harley hugs me.

"I thought she'd kidnapped you!" I rolled my eyes, and shook my head. "Paranoia, much?" He shrugs. "Wev. Look, it's Christmas Eve tomorrow. I was wondering... if we could spend the day together, without my crazy mother and siblings. Because..." I stop him.

"You don't need a reason, ya know. Sure, Harley." He smiles, and nods. "Okay. Good night." I yawn, and head into the pokemon center. "Right. Good night, Harley." I roll over, and grab Wigglytuff.

"My pillow." I growl, silencing his vocal objections. I lay my head down on his stomach, ignoring further protest, and fall asleep happily.

"_She went away for the holiday... said she's goin' to LA..." _I listened to my Ipod as the others scrambled around, trying to find the gifts they'd swear on a skyscraper of pancakes, (don't ask, complete inside joke), they had wrapped about a week ago. I had mine neatly stacked under my bed.

Partially to keep away the monsters, but it did serve a double purpose. And if I had a closet, I'd put them there, too. (1)

We were doing the holiday crap Christmas Eve, since the Grand Festival was on Christmas Day. Meaning gifts, food, and crappy holiday music.

Fucking. Kill. Me.

Anyways, presents were finally found. Harley got it the worst, he really did. It went a bit like this...

"Okay, square. And really light. Cigarettes?" Harley thought out loud, shaking the box. Opening it slowly, as Drew was cracking up. _'Maximum Tampons'. _Harley read the print, and set the box down. His voice was a forced calm, burning the air.

"Cacturne. Needle Arm. RIGHT NOW." Harley said coolly. He got up, handed the box to May, as Drew was smacked by an elongated, pointy arm.

Observing this, I remarked, "Cacturne would make a _great_ tattoo artist." Harley was still twitching a bit when I gave him his gift, and so he chucked the box of blush at me. And then when he thought none of us were looking, he grabbed it back.

I got some halfway decent gifts; May got me a book on how to deal with boys, (was this romance thing like the Pokerus, or what?), Drew got me a sculpture of an Arcanine, but Harley...

Nothing.

I pretended not to care; he was thrilled beyond belief with the pokedolls, and he seemed to be in good spirits, so I let it be. What else could I do?

A time after we'd exchanged presents, he turned to me, smiling. "Lucy, can you come with a walk with me?" I nodded, and grabbed a jacket, heading out.

Wigglytuff's ears snap up. "_Follow them!" _He hisses. Rolling their eyes, all of the pokemon follow anyway.

He and I head out past Lilycove, and near the Safari Zone. I see the stars, and look up, breath frosting. "They're so much clearer in winter. I think that it's better to wish on them now, of all times, don't you?" He looks up.

"I never really thought about it... I guess... never wished on stars much." I gasp. For someone not to wish on stars, for me, was like not breathing. "Why not!?" I ask. He shrugs.

"No one ever grants your wish, do they?" I shake my head feverently. Silly boy. I'd show him.

"No, that's not true! I wished so hard, since I was five, that I could go to the pokemon world, and well..." I sigh, and twirl a strand of hair around my finger. "I guess I am. With you, doing this, and well, it's a dream come true." I wince. "Cheesy, but true. This is all I ever wanted."

He nods, taking all this in. I look up at the spires of Mt. Pyre, seeming to reach into the darkness like hands, reaching for a lost and forgotten heaven so far away, that not even on a mountain can you reach it. I stare at the soft blue and red lights.

"I put those back, you know. Kyogre and Groudon, they were fighting. And I stopped them. Hiromi helped, too. He seemed to know I was coming, before I came. Isn't that strange?" I asked. Harley shrugged, and snorted.

"Dunno, you tell me. Life was pretty normal for me until this." I tilted my head sideways, and stared at him quizzically. "You don't like this?" He shook his head.

"No, that isn't what I meant! What I meant was, you're_ special_, no, wait, what you_ did_ is special, but that makes _you_ special, so I don't really know where I'm going with this..." His voice trails off, as I crack up. Randomly, I ask him,

"Do you think Kyogre and Groudon are gonna fight again?" He shrugs again helplessly. "I don't know. The orbs are there, but they might have found something else... anyways, I'd prefer not to think about this. I need to show you your present." I cheer up, and hug him.

"I _knew _you didn't forget!" I shrieked, swinging him around a bit, before rushing off.

Wigglytuff and the others are watching from the shadows, joyous at my reaction.

"_See, I told you he's devoted and loyal, noble and brave, and, and... stuff." _Ariados hissed to Zero. Zero growled. "_Lucy better like her present, or I will eat Harley." _No one doubted the tiger dog's words.

Hell, just like his mistress.

I walked with Harley, who strode forward like he knew exactly where he was going.

He did not.

We were completely lost for about twenty freezing minutes, until he noticed glowing, cheery lights winking in the dark. Grabbing my hand, he pulled me towards my present. "Close your eyes." He whispered into my ear. "No peeking." I smile, and do as he asks.

I feel him let go of my hand. "Tah-dah!" It's a Christmas tree. All green and lit up, and shining, star on top, laden with ornaments... it looks like the ones I wanted when I was a kid. I feel my nose sting, and my eyes water up, this time, not from the cold.

"H-harley... th-thank you..." I sniff. He and I stand and look at it quietly, but in Harley's head, his mind is raging.

'_Tell her, you idiot! Say something! RIGHT NOW, YOU FUCKWIT!' _His inner voice shrieked. His inner voice had a foul mouth, but Harley listened. But what to say, what to say to sweep her off her feet...

"I can read people's eyes." He blurted out. I raised an eyebrow. "Okay, that's new." I turned to him. "So. What do you see in my eyes?"

* * *

-_Harley's POV-_

I cannot believe I just said that. I sound like an idiot. But she seems truly interested. Okay. We can do this. I pull myself up, and look into her eyes. I am actually stunned by what I see. I see...

I see a child, playing her Red with a smile on her face, and kind words for her team on her lips. I see a kid of about eight, who has tears in her eyes, as her Red is smashed. I see this same girl, spending her last bit of money to get it repaired.

I see a sad, small girl doodling a Charizard while the kids play around her, parting around her like a sea. I see, what do I see? I see a thirteen year old, losing her innocence, and her naivety.

I don't want to see all of this, but I'm drawn to it, like a mouse to a trap. The girl is playing Emerald, urging Kyogre and Groudon to stop fighting. She's being tested by Suicune, and raising a Missingno.

She's doing everything she can to hold on to some small shred of sanity, by pretending nothing exists but her pokemon.

Well, she doesn't have to pretend any longer.

"Well..." I pause. She looks up at me expectantly. "Well what?" I blink. "I saw a scared little kid, who was both the strongest and the most vulnerable. I saw a group of family, determined to make it through. I saw someone who'd do anything for those she loved. But most of all, I saw you." I look away, but suddenly, I know exactly what to say.

"And when I looked into your eyes..." I pause to find the right words. "I saw heaven." I grasped her shoulders, and before I could stop myself, I had kissed her.

_

* * *

-Lucy's POV-_

Cool. Harley can read eyes. "So. What do you see in my eyes?" I ask him hopefully. He looks into my eyes for a minute. His are an odd shade of blue... an ice cold, almost like the color of the sky.

He looks away. I figure he's seen everything, so I ask. "What's up?"

He smiles a bit, and says, "I saw a scared little kid, who was both the strongest and the most vulnerable. I saw a group of family, determined to make it through. I saw someone who'd do anything for those she loved. But most of all, I saw you."

I blink. Well, wasn't expecting that...

"And when I looked into your eyes... I saw something else." He smiles faintly. "I saw heaven." I gape a bit.

_What?_

He pulls me into a kiss, almost like he's vaguely aware of doing it.

Oh, my god, he's kissing me. I kiss back, first out of surprise, then out of love. "Harley..." I pull away, and hug him tightly. "Merry Christmas Eve, Harley." He grins, and wraps his hands around my waist.

"Merry Christmas Eve, Lucy. I'm so glad you're here to celebrate with me." I kiss him again, a quick kiss. I grin.

"Me, too. I figure I'd rather be here than anywhere else in all of the worlds." He grins.

"With me?" I nod. "With you. Always."

* * *

(1: Inside joke. Monsters under the bed; good. Monsters in the closet; bad.) 


	29. Beginnings of the Festival! Time is now!

(YES, I know. It's short. But I have to divide up the Battle Appeals; you'll see why. Extra long chapter next time, like, five pages or so. On Verdana. So, anyway, the Rant, or Why Eevee sucks is true. All of it. Mary-Sue. Fuckin' Nintendo bastards. And their vendetta against crossdressers. Don't own. If I did, that stupid move wouldn't have done shit, and Harley would've pounded Eevee's little fox face in.)

* * *

We say nothing as we head back to Lilycove. We're both thinking about the Grand Festival. I have actually decided not to send back Erose; he might make it. He's a baby ev, but he's quite strong. And vicious. Most pokemon are scared of his insane ramblings, anyhow. 

I suppose I'll train with Lachrymose later, but I want to get to know Erose a bit, since I don't have much of a past with him. Harley and I just take the couch, so as not to wake the others up.

The next morning, everyone seems to know we kissed last night. They're all smirking at each other, to the point where Sarah asked what on earth was the big secret. Getting dressed for the Contest, Crash asked me a question.

"Should I kiss Faris, or what?" She asked bluntly. I shot up.

"What!? You're, like, ten!" She chuckled. "So? Ah'm mature, is all. Mistletoe, er random smooch?" I am a bit taken with her bluntness, but it's funny.

"Mistletoe. That way, you've got an excuse." I advise. She grins. "Righ', okay. Good luck, Lucy." I nod.

"Thanks, Crash. Next year." She shrugs. "Wev. I have a shiny pokemon, they'd prolly let me in just 'cause of that, huh?" I grin, and stroke said shiny.

I head out, stretch, and am greeted by a smiling Harley. "Merry Christmas, dollface." He grins, giving me a quick peck on the cheek.

"Merry Christmas, you sonofabitch." I roll my eyes. "Cold!" Drew snaps his fingers. I sigh, and check my watch. "Eleven-thirty. It starts at noon, shall we go?" The others nod, as we set off, ready to kick ass.

I swing my hips a bit, imitating Harley's model-like walk. He groans, and mutters, "You frickin' stealer of..." I finish. "The catwalk." He growls, and grasps at the snow. Pelting a snowball at my face, he immediately hauls ass.

"YOU'RE DEAD!" I roar, summoning Bleak. "BLIZZARD!" I scream. The disaster pokemon rolls his eyes, but complies, burying Harley in about fifteen feet of snow. I turn, and stride off to the hall. "He can dig himself out."

After Harley does indeed, dig himself out, we're close to the hall. Garlands and crap are strung around the place, and what with the commotion and such, I consider hanging someone from one of them.

Drew and May have disappeared to prepare, along with Harley. So I'm alone. Goddamnit. I head into the dressing room, but I'm stopped by a girl with short purple hair.

"Hi, my name's Michelle! Can you help me find Hate, he's my Eevee, he's gone, like... somewhere, and he's gone. So, yeah. A little help?" I roll my eyes. "Wev. Let's go."

We search the dressing room. No 'Hate'. The hall. No Hate.

The garlands, strung up like a Christmas goose?

Actually,_ yes_.

Thrilled, the purple haired girl in the pink dress collected the Eevee, and I was left to dress. As I hopped out, yanking my pants on, they began announcing. I rushed up to Harley.

"I'm so excited!" I squeaked, voice rising like a five-year-old's. He smiled sadly. "First one is always like that, huh?" He shook his head. "I've managed to lose the last two. But this year's my year." He proclaimed.

Chest puffed out with righteous indignation, I yelled, "Yeah, and you shouldn't have lost against Eevee, those dumbfuck writers!" He raised an eyebrow. As I yelled 'dumbfuck', I noticed quite a few children squeaking in outrage. Deal.

"Go on, dollface." He purrs. Ignoring his barely-kept in humor, I continued. "Cacturne is a Dark type, right!!? _Shadow Ball doesn't work on Dark-types!_ And WIGGLYTUFF IS A MOTHERFUCKING _NORMAL_ TYPE!!! GHOST DOES NOT AFFECT NORMAL, IT'S BEEN LIKE THAT SINCE THEY FUCKING MADE _**GREEN**_!!!" By now, Harley had realized that asking me about the infamous Eevee fiasco was a bad, bad idea. But I continued on.

"AND FOR _FUCK'S SAKE_, THEY TURN MAY INTO A GODDAMN MARY SUE, JUST SO SHE CAN BEAT YOU! THEY LET YOU WIN _ONCE_!! _**ONCE**_!! EVEN THOUGH YOU ARE _SIXTEEN,_ AND HAVE WAY MORE POWERFUL POKEMON, THAT YOU HAVE BEEN TRAINING FOR _UPWARDS OF SIX YEARS_!!" This had been a pet peeve of mine, for a very long time. Obviously.

Rant over, I stormed off to the bathroom to fix my makeup. Harley stood there in stunned silence. After a minute, he sighed, and smiled. "It's always nice when your girlfriend comes to your defense."

After I finished that, we sat together in the front row, watching Appeal after Appeal. Crazy Bianca was there, but this time with a Persian that knew Shadow Ball.

Harley saw the look on my face, and whispered, "_Don't." _Grumbling, I obeyed, but bitched about it until May's Appeal.

"Beautifly, Silver Wind!" She yelled, as the butterfly vampire (1) summoned a silvery wind of scales that turned into a tornado, striking both pokemon and trainer. May snapped her fingers, and the scales dropped instantaneously, clattering to the floor. She was met with cheers as she walked off, and was given an eighty-nine.

Next, Drew. He sent out Flygon, who used Dragon Rage, coupled with Dragon Dance. It was quite pretty; the bluish-yellow flames melding with the mesmerizing Dragon Dance. He was given an eighty-nine as well.

Harley was after a few more Appeals. He used Cacturne, and ordered a Pin Missile, sending them up into a... heart shape. As I was blushing bright red, he blew me a kiss, and then ordered Cacturne to use Needle Arm on the Pin Missile, scattering the pins. Out of sheer cuteness factor, I figured, he was given a ninety.

A few more Appeals, then... mine. Gripping my palms until I felt a bit of blood dribble past my fingers, I threw out Bleak's Pokeball. "Blizzard!" I ordered. He obeyed instantly, summoning a cloud of swirling snow. I shivered, and quickly asked him to perform a Flamethrower. Doing so, the snow began to melt.

As the audience tittered, I told him to use Rain Dance, and they all squealed as they were soaked. I smirked. One last thing. "THUNDER!" I roared. His eyes glowed red, as he complied.

The roof of the hall rumbled. And then it opened, just a crack. A humongous bolt of lightning came through, and struck Bleak. The audience screamed with terror. But Bleak and I were both smiling. Rain still pouring, I yelled, "Discharge!" He expelled the lightning, hair standing on end. It zigzagged around the entire hall, and then proceeded to fizzle out like fireworks.

The judges were amazed. I squealed, and hugged Bleak. "YAY!" They all gave me a ninety-eight. I was a bit surprised by that, but I figured it was from the combo of about five attacks.

I squealed a bit, as Harley hugged me. "Ohmygoshyouweresogreat!" He squealed, hugging me tightly. I gasp.

"...Thanks. Now quit squooshing my internal organs, please. I need them." He rolls his eyes, and sets me down. "This girl Amy, then Battle Appeals. You ready?" I nod.

Wigglytuff pipes up, "_Amy Winehouse?! SHE'S HERE!!" _He searches wildly for his hero. I roll my eyes, and watch the girl Appeal. She tossed out a pokeball, and cried, "Zoom! Go!" A Jolteon lept out, fur sparking with tension.

"Pin Missile!" He complies, and she smirks. "Good, now Thunderbolt!" The Pin Missile is charged by the static energy, and they explode into mini fireworks. She heads backstage, and now they announce the Top Ten;

Me, Harley, Michelle, May, Drew, Amy, Dawn, and three kids I didn't know; Kristen, Elaine, and Joshua. I sighed in relief.

They matched us up; first round, I was with Joshua, Harley had Michelle, May had Dawn, and Drew had Amy. Kirsten and Elaine were paired up with each other.

"So." I murmured. "The Battle Appeals start."

* * *

(Short, but I intend on putting out another chapter today, so don't complain. Now, for the one note; Seriously. Go read Beautifly's pokedex entry in Diamond, I believe. Scary.) 


	30. Ash must die! Sweet rose!

(Retribution, Michelle. Muhahahaha, and all that As for Michelle's retribution, go read Bleeding to Death. Good fic, but anyways. Ash dies, which made me happy. But Harley went crazy, so I got pissed. And this is the product of that. Karma. P.S. Fuck Advanceshipping. May deserves better. And I feel proud; I bashed Ash AND Dawn, and hooked up May and Drew in like, five paragraphs! LEET! Don't own. Anyway, dedicated to Galbinus, because I wrote a retardedly short chapter last time, sorry.)

* * *

Joshua sends out his two pokemon, a Golem and a Gabite. I sigh. Who to use... "Ace! Erose!" I call.

And what a sight it was... a small green plant dinosaur, and this cyan colored mighty dragon. It just looked so _wrong._ I almost hear the audience staring. I turn to them. "He's a lot stronger than he looks. Plus, he's crazy." I pipe up in his defense. Joshua orders a Rock Slide from Golem, and a Sandstorm from Gabite.

Okay, easy enough. "Ace, Wing Attack! Erose, use Leech Seed on Golem!" They both nod, and Ace soars up, dispelling the sand with one stroke of her scythe-shaped wings. Erose had latched onto the Golem, and was quickly sapping his energy.

"Rollout! Get rid of the vines, and aim for the Bulbasaur!" I sighed. He obviously thought Erose was going to be an easy target. "Vine Whip, and wrap it around." He cinches his vines around the rolling Golem, until it appears to be a ball of yarn. "Fling him." I grin, as the boulder pokemon goes sailing through the air. He loses quite a few points for that.

"Gabite, Dragon Claw!" He orders. The Land Shark's claw glows blue, and he charges at Ace. I think wildly, and call out, "Ice Beam!" WTF? I didn't, she... She, apparently, knows what she's doing, and strikes. Because of the double weakness, the Gabite is frozen solid.

"Flamethrower! Melt him, and keep going!" She roars, and frees the pokemon from his icy prison, only to confine him in a fiery one. I smile with pleasure, as his points are almost nil. And with a minute on the clock, too...

"Erose, finish it! Solarbeam!" He momentarily charges up, and blasts the Golem, knocking him back a good five feet. As I am declared the winner, cheers go up. I grin, and hug Erose and Ace, before recalling them, and returning to my seat to watch Harley.

The girl, Michelle, stands across from him. Harley sends out Cacturne and Ariados. She picks two pokeballs, and throws them out. "Shana! Hate!" I blink in surprise.

Okay, so the Eevee's named Hate. Do not CARE. She has a SLUTBUNNY. Formally known as Lopunny, but fuck that shit. Anyways, Slutbunny—excuse me, I mean Lopunny—struts her stuff, true to form, and stands there. I roll my eyes.

"Ariados! String Shot! Hold the Lopunny down!" Michelle counters. "Shana, Hi Jump Kick!" Harley sweatdrops, as he orders Ariados to duck. The Lopunny performs a beautiful kick... into the wall. Well, at least the wall liked it.

"Hate! Bite!" I shoot up. "This better not be a crappy repeat, or I'll kill her." Sighing, Cacturne stands still, as the fuzzball flies at him. Harley cracks up, as the fox crashes right through Cacturne.

"Take THAT, Nintendo! WHO'S LAUGHING NOW!!!?!" Harley roars, further scaring this girl. "Uh, right. Hate! Use... Hidden Power!" He rolls his eyes.

"Cacturne, finish it. Bullet Seed, then leap in for a Needle Arm!" The Scarecrow Pokemon complies, smacking the Eevee with elongated needles. The girl freaks, as her Eevee falters. She's losing points quickly, since Lopunny is held to the ground by String Shot.

"Grrr... Hate! Use Last Resort!" Hate glows blue, and charges at Ariados, in an attempt to free Shana the Slutbunny. Cacturne sees this, and intercepts with a perfect 'Dark Pulse' attack. I try not to squeal, but Harley looks so HOT out there, in the heat of battle, and well...

Yes, I am fully aware I sound like a character in a romance novel. With a boy like that, you would too. The clock is ticking... one more minute left. Harley hasn't even lost a quarter of his points.

"Ariados! Finish this! Poison Fang!" Ariados bites Shana the Slutbunny, and she faints, from equal parts exhaustion and fear. Arachnophobia, to be precise. I giggle at the shocked girl.

"But... but... I'm a friend of the authoress! I CAN'T LOSE!" She shrieks. Harley looks up from filing his nails. "Um, okay, one; I'm, like, sixteen. Been doing this for a long time. Two, the Authoress is pissed you made me go crazy in another fic. You started it, she says. Three... well, I am just awesome." He rolls his eyes upward.

"Got all of that?" A voice booms, "_Yeah, yeah. Now get back to snogging your bloody girlfriend." _He growls, and recalls the two to cheers. As he heads off the stage, I worry about my life. Now I have authoresses to worry about.

As he climbs the steps, I feel an urge to hug him. "You won, yay!" I tackle him, grinning happily. He strokes my hair. "See you're thrilled. So what's up, dollface?" I grin.

"Nothin'. I just wanted to hug you." He smiles, and lifts me up, carrying me to the seats. "I see, luvvy." We sit together, and watch the fight between the two girls, Kirsten and Elaine.

Elaine has an Umbreon named Jepha, who seems to be her closest pokemon. Kirsten has a Gardevoir, and is struggling from type disadvantage. But those two, along with an Aggron and a Delcatty, are duking it out. In the end, Elaine is declared the winner.

Now, Drew and Amy. This girl sends out a Typhlosion, and an Umbreon. I sit up, very interested, since my second-favorite starter is Typhlosion. And Umbreon is the best Eevee evolution, hands down.

Drew sends out Masquerain and Absol. I sit up further. Two of my favorite pokemon in a faceoff... I never thought I'd see it...

"Kurai!" Amy yells, directing it towards the Umbreon. "Use Faint Attack on Absol!" He complies, striking the disaster quickly, then leaping back. "Cinder, use Flame Wheel on Masquerain!" She orders with a flick of her wrist. The Typhlosion charges up, and fires off a Catherine Wheel of flames at Masquerain.

"Masquerain! Wing Attack!" Drew orders quickly. Masquerain does so, averting the worst of the flames, but there's a surprise; Cinder was hidden in the wheel. Tackling Masquerain, she falters, and flutters to the floor. "Up! Masquerain, use Rain Dance! Absol, Thunder!" I shriek in indignation.

"HEY! He stole that from ME!" Irregardless, Absol performs the trick, and it strikes Kurai. "Kurai!" Amy calls. "Use Shadow Sneak!" The Umbreon disappears, only to strike Absol. "Absol, use Bite!" At such a close range, it works, and Kurai howls.

"Cinder, use Return!" She yells. The Fire Echidna seems to have quite a strong bond with the girl, and quickly uses the attack, weakening Masquerain greatly. "Good, now Swift!" She orders.

Cinder strikes a beam of stars at Masquerain, ignoring Absol. Taking advantage of this, Absol sneaks up on Cinder. One minute, and they're about even. I sit up, getting more interested, if at all possible.

Kurai tackles Absol, and they both go down, Absol using Bite, Kurai using Defense Curl. Finally, Kurai uses Night Slash, effectively knocking out Absol—but in the process, Absol had used Razor Wind, and fainted Kurai.

"This match is a tie." The MC calls. I blink. "Whoa. Just... whoa." Harley echoes my sentiments, staring in silence.

Both recall their pokemon. Drew stares longingly at the trophy, situated on top of the judges' table, and something seems to set in his eyes. Determination for next year.

I smile. "You can do it, Drew." He returns up to our seats, and smiles to himself.

May's Appeal is a bit intense. Dawn versus May. Ash companion versus Ash companion. Oh, crap.

May looks pissed, as she faces Dawn. Dawn has matured slightly. Matured Britney-Spears style. The stupid dress with the bows has suddenly gotten a lot shorter and tighter. I roll my eyes. Even in the show, I hated Dawn. I seriously hoped May would kick her ass.

"Empoleon! Pachirisu!" She tosses out two pokeballs. The giant Emperor pokemon towers over the entire battlefield. I'm actually a bit impressed; I never thought she'd let him evolve past Piplup. Well, Pachirisu still sucks. May checks her belt, and tosses out two pokeballs.

"Skitty! Blaziken!" She calls. I roll my eyes. You know... Harley finishes it for me. "An unevolved pokemon versus one that doesn't evolve, and a water starter against a fire starter." I nod.

"She's screwed." But May had other plans. "Blaziken, Double Kick!" I blink. Oh, right. Steel took extra damage. "Empoleon, Hydro Pump!" Dawn yelled. "Skitty, Assist!" May ordered. The kitten fired off a Double Kick at Pachirisu. "Discharge!" Skitty was shocked, but the damage was done. Dawn's points were down.

This apparently pissed her off. "Empoleon, Hydro Pump, again!" Empoleon struck Blaziken, as May's points went down. May growled. "Sky Uppercut!" She decided to stick with fighting moves, I guess. Type advantage.

"Skitty, Blizzard!" The arena on Dawn's side is obscured. Points go down, again. May smirks. Empoleon is fatigued, and Pachirisu isn't holding out well against the Kitten of Doom and Stupidity.

Dawn glares at the score. "Whatever, May! At least Ash hasn't dumped _me!" _May's stunned by her strategy. "What a rat, using that to win." I mutter. Harley agrees, but before he can voice his sentiments, Dawn continues.

"He left you, and you had to go alone. And now he has _me_." She mocks, cruelly smirking at May. Cold. That had obviously been aching at her like an open wound; from the crushed look on her face, I figured it was obvious.

May faltered, and Empoleon gets a strike in, along with Pachirisu. "_May! Damn it, don't think about that, girl!" _Blaziken roars. She looks up, and sees Ash in the stands, cheering Dawn's name. Her eyes well with tears.

Drew shifts in his seat. "Roselia." He mutters urgently. She knows, and produces a rose. "MAY!" Drew roars, attracting her attention.

"FUCK THEM!" He screams, making her smile. He tosses a rose at her. "YOU CAN DO IT!" We're all stunned. Szeren snorts, and extends a claw to Sachiko. "_Pay up." _The Ninetales growls. "_Damn it." _

May smiles up at Drew, and takes the rose in her hand. There's a new spark of determination, and—love, yeah, love, as she turns back. Facing Dawn, she says, "Well, he may have left me, but he's gonna leave you too, just you wait. Meanwhile, I have..." She stops. "_I have Drew_."

Drew blushes, and I grin. "Awww..." Dawn falters. "He said he wouldn't leave me!" May looks up, and laughs. "Guess what, hon? He said the _same thing_ to me." She turns to the fire chicken.

"BLAZIKEN! BLAZE KICK!" He grins, (I think, beak-grin), and slams Empoleon into the wall with a flaming leg. "SKITTY! ASSIST!" Skitty's paws alight, and she slams into Pachirisu.

"_Die, squirrel!" _She roars, kicking the elesquirrel into MUSH. May cheers on her pokemon, as the clock ticks down. Drew is bright red from her little speech, and so is Dawn, but for two different reasons.

Ash just stares. Grinning, I give him the finger. Harley clicks his tongue. "Naughty, aren't we, young lady?" I growl at him halfheartedly, as May finishes, victorious.

"OWNED!" May rushes up the steps, and tackles Drew. I smile, and get upwards of fifty pictures on my camera. It's cuteness, defined. I grin, as Dawn storms off stage, taking Ash with her as she marches out of the contest hall.

Next rounds...

May with Harley. I gulp. This. Is. NOT. Gonna be pretty.

Me with Elaine.

I actually find myself praying that I lose. I really don't wanna fight Harley. I honestly don't know if I could bring myself to lose, though.

Elaine and I are first. She sends out an Umbreon and an Espeon. I nod, and grab Sachiko and Zero's pokeballs. "Let's go, guys! Zero, use Heat Wave!" As it weakens the other two, Sachiko is powered up through Flash Fire.

I grin. "Let's go, Chiko! Use Fire Spin!" She traps the two pokemon in a vortex. "Zero! Jump through, and use Crunch on the Espeon!" Her points are dropping—pokemon aren't visible. And Zero soars through the flames, which leave him unharmed.

He looks so majestic, so strong, that the audience is stunned into silence. I grin. "Now, jump!" He leaps over the flames, and skids out on the other side of the arena. "Beladame, use Psychic!" Sachiko levitates in the air. I roll my eyes.

"Won't work! Aerial Flamethrower!" She spits out flames from above, striking both Umbreon and Espeon. I cheer. Harley notes with interest. '_Figures... she's gotten much better...' _He sighed, and slumped in his seat. "Cacturne, I want popcorn." The scarecrow pokemon glares at him. "I am your trainer, buddy. Let's go." He claps his hands.

In response, Cacturne fires a Pin Missile.

Back down to the stage, I grin. "Battle's all but won. Sachiko! Fire Blast onto Zero!" She knows what I'm doing, and covers him in flames. The audience is stunned. "FLARE BLITZ, ZERO!" I roar. The heat, the battle, the sweat... oh Christ, I'm gonna pass out. "HURRY!" I scream, wobbling where I stand.

He slams into both Espeon and Umbreon, knocking the two of them out. The clock dings.

Five minutes.

I win.

Promptly passing out.

_I fall back into that comforting world of black, back again. Damnit. The court is back. Hiromi... he's fighting. They're restraining him, and Ichigo is screaming his name. They've got my Rayquaza. "DON'T YOU FUCKING TOUCH HIM!" I roar. Rushing out to the court, I grab Hiromi. He growls. _

"_Lucy? Lucy, what on EARTH are you doing here—" The Entei from before, and a small army behind him interrupt. "I could ask that question myself, Third-Class." He growls. I am so fuckin' sick of it. I draw myself up to my full height, and yell, "FUCK YOU, BITCH!"_

_The court is dead silent. I think I just signed my death warrant._

"_Girl. You should not have come. You weren't born here." Hiromi's lithe form encircles me. "But we brought her here." He growls. I see a humongous Rayquaza above him, looking proud. _

"_It matters not. She'll be gone soon enough." He murmurs. But before I can elaborate, Harley's voice interrupts._

"DAMNIT!" I shriek, standing up. "HARLEY, YOU IDIOT!" He blinks in surprise, as I fume. "What?"


	31. Hate and anger! Love lost!

(Please don't kill me. Don't own.)

* * *

I roll my eyes. "Nevermind. Let's just go. Your Appeal." He picks me up, and sighs. "Excuse me, missy. You're more important; you just passed out." He carries me up the steps, and back to our seats, much to my displeasure.

"I can handle myself!" I yell, but he's off, and ready to win. I sigh. "It's like I'm not even here." Sachiko looks up. "_What?" _I glare at her, and settle into my seat.

Harley sends out Wigglytuff and Octillery. May sends out Eevee and Munchlax. I blink. "Eevee." Szeren begins to churr, her weird laughter. "_Ah, Harley. Luck." _I stare.

"Munchlax, Focus Punch!" May orders. Harley shrugs. "Wigglytuff, use Rollout!" Wigglytuff strikes Munchlax, and his focus is lost. May loses points. She sighs. "Eevee, Dig!" Eevee burrows a bit under the arena, and is hidden from sight. "Octillery, Fire Blast into the hole." I gasp.

"Brilliant." I am admittedly biased, but still. Eevee is blasted out the other end on a plume of fire. I giggle a bit, just because it's too funny. "Myu, myu..." I giggle. Suddenly, Harley holds a hand up.

"Wait a minute! Have to apply my makeup!" May stands stock still. "You can't be serious." He takes out a hand mirror, and a tube of eyeliner. I roll my eyes, and yell,

"In the middle of the FREAKING GRAND FESTIVAL, YOU JACKASS!?" I roar. He sticks his tongue out, and deftly finishes applying eyeliner. He turns up to me, and calls, "IS IT MASCARA OR EYELINER YOU CAN'T APPLY WITH YOUR MOUTH SHUT?" With a straight face. I lose it.

"WHY DON'T YOU CHECK YOURSELF, YOU FUCKWIT! YOU HAVE A GODDAMN MIRROR, DON'T YOU!?" He pouts, and does check.

"But now I'm not _applying_ it." He whines. "THEN GET MAY TO HOLD THE MIRROR FOR YOU!" I shriek. The judges really are just stunned. Wouldn't you be? "Okay, Wigglytuff, Hyper Beam!"

May is stunned, as Eevee is blasted back. "Use Tail Whip!" Eevee slaps Wigglytuff in the face. "_Fuck you, bitch! YOU RUINED MY HAIR CURL! DIIIIEEEE!" _Wigglytuff performs an amazing 'Seismic Toss'. Too bad he's never actually learned the move.

Psycho rabbit things with narcissist tendencies over hair curls don't need to LEARN moves. They just know from sheer pwnage.

Szeren towers over me, interrupting my watching. "_Dear, I have to assume the role of your mother, once again, and ask; honey, do you KNOW what you're getting into!?" _I roll my eyes in frustration.

"Unfortunately, _yes." _Between the makeup, and our exchange, there's a minute and a half left on the clock. May has lost more points, and Harley seems thrilled. "Once again, TAKE THAT, NINTENDO!" He yells.

She smirks. "So... I'll use my signature move, the one that beat you last time! Eevee, Shadow Ball!" Harley flinches. Eevee charges up a ball of shadow energy, and throws the ectoplasm at Cacturne.

Sighing, he stands there... and it passes through. May shrieks. "What the FUCK?!" Harley laughs like a maniac, and yells, "SHADOW BALL DOESN'T WORK ANY-FUCKING MORE! OH YEAH!" I crack up, almost pissing myself laughing.

Take that, Satoshi Tajiri, you bastard. My boyfriend is TOO better.

He finishes with another 'Rollout', and a 'Needle Arm' from Cacturne. Stunned, May doesn't react. Well, I can't really blame her... it did work, last time...

"And Harley Davidson—" I interrupt. "The gayest man in the festival—" "Fuck you, Lucy!" Harley shrieks. May rolls her eyes. "Here we go..."

Nurse Joy stands up. "THE WINNER IS HARLEY DAVIDSON! WOULD YOU TWO_** PLEASE**_!?" I am tempted to yell, 'please yourself', but I decide against it. Then it hits me.

Oh, my god.

He gets it too. "FUCK." He pronounces perfectly. I sigh, and turn to Szeren. "I don't want to do this..." She growls at Roselia, who has a plan. "_Win or lose, give him this. It'll make him feel better_." She tells me, and produces a perfect vermilion rose. I gasp. "Oh... thank you, Roselia. It's beautiful..." I gently put it in my pocket, and we set out down the stage.

It suddenly seems a whole lot bigger in here. The curtains rattle like a last breath, the stage creaks threateningly, and the whole world seems to be poised to attack me at any given moment. I'm scared, as I probably should be.

This is insane... like something out of a Salvador Dali painting. The colors of the audience are interchanging, shifting, and melting. My tongue is stuck to the roof of my mouth.

'_All this over a boy?' _I hear in my head. Even though it means I'm probably crazy, I reply back, "_He's not just a boy. He's my friend. And he really wants to win, and I don't know if I can let him do that.'_

The audience looms, the peoples' cheering is amplified, and I stand alone in a sea of terror and doubt. '_Please don't let it end between us.' _I pray. '_I just told him.' _

Harley sighs, in both exasperation and sadness. I hope he feels like I do about this fight. If he didn't care, I think I might kill him. He brushes a lock of hair away from his face absentmindedly, and I mentally scream, '_No, you idiot! Pay attention to ME!' _

"Just you and me, huh, dollface?" I nod, slightly relieved he knows I'm here. "Okay. I won't hold back." He warns, flicking his fingers. I wince, wanting to slap him.

'_Crap, he's already said Cliché line_ _No.1. We are so screwed." _I wail inwardly, and grab Szeren and Bleak's pokeballs.

"Cacturne! Banette!" I feel like crying; they look so confused out there, like lost birds. They both turn to him. "_WHY are we fighting Lucy?" _He sighs, matching their pained expressions.

"We have to, guys. I'm sorry, you know I am..." They sigh in tolerance, but not in acceptance. Bleak and Szeren look pained as well; these are their friends, it's their brothers-in-arms that they're fighting. I suddenly hate this whole business of battling; how we pit other pokemon against each other, for fun, for sport.

Did we ever once ask how they felt about this? What contract did they sign that forced them to agree? Why doesn't anyone think this is wrong? Because this is how it's always been? Is that it?

But what's always been isn't always right. Heroes can lie. Gods can fail. People can and will die. I won't think about this, I won't.

It's just a match. He won't care... he loves me. He said so. But you don't buy love, you only rent... and what if the rent expires? You get kicked out into the cold of reality, that's what.

"Match begin." The announcer orders. The audience is completely silent. I feel like crying. "Bleak, Flamethrower. Szeren, Dragon Claw." I order halfheartedly. "Cacturne, Needle Arm. Banette, Shadow Claw." Harley recites in a monotone voice.

This is madness.

Szeren fires off, but her heart just isn't in it. I sigh, and steel myself. Harley wouldn't be proud of me if I didn't give my all. "Bleak, direct your Flamethrower to Szeren! Szeren, use Flare Blitz!" I order, life flowing into my voice.

As if by osmosis, Harley perks up too. "Cacturne! Pin Missile, then Dark Pulse!" I nod at Bleak. "Use Rain Dance!" After Szeren strikes Cacturne with Flare Blitz, he summons a rainstorm. Harley smirks.

"Dollface, Szeren's power is going to go out." He turns to Banette. "You use Thunder, too!" It strikes Szeren, and she roars angrily, shaking her head in frustration. My points go down a chunk. I shake my head. "Doesn't matter! Bleak, Thunder!" The clock is ticking. Two minutes.

Two minutes left to hold onto his love.

Szeren is dormant, charging up, and I'm losing points. I smirk. '_You'll see...' _Bleak fires off an impeccable 'Thunder', striking Banette. Thunder onto Thunder. I wince, but it can't be helped.

He's focusing his attacks on Szeren, striking her as she charges up power. I wince in empathy, but I can't do much yet. "Bleak, now! Blizzard!" He freezes the rain into ice, pelting Cacturne and Banette with sleet. I grin.

But Harley isn't a great Coordinator by luck. "Cacturne, Pin Missile! Burst the hail!" Doing so produces a lovely snowfall, and I lose points quickly. Fuck. It looks like I'm going to lose... hell.

One minute left.

I make my choice.

"SZEREN, DRAGONTHROWER!" I roar. She opens her mouth, and the power from all the attacks before and now spews out of her mouth in an electric-blue blaze of fiery sparks.

It strikes both Banette and Cacturne, knocking them out.

_Ding._

With a sliver of my points left, I win.

"What have I done?" I wail. I burst into tears, as they bring me up to the platform. Rent has expired. Game over. He hates you. I look to him, as everyone cheers my name. '_Harley, please. Say you love me. I'm begging you.' _His eyes are smoldering. I sigh.

They hand me this glittering gold cup some would die for, but I do not want. I'd die more for what May and Drew have as they stare into each other's eyes; a love not plagued by competition, a love that is simply knowing you'd die for that person, and they'd follow you right to the gates of hell to fetch you.

But still knowing that you don't want that. That you want to LIVE for them, and just be. Be with them, like.

I'd die for his love. I hate admitting it, but I would. But he won't care, even if I tell him all this, wouldn't care, all because of a stupid fucking golden cup, my ticket, one way to hell. Shit.

"HARLEY!" I roar, as they drag me away for photos and interviews, and god knows what else. "PLEASE!" He looks at me for a second with those ice-blue eyes I once thought were the most beautiful things in all of the universe. Now they're harder than his heart.

He turns, and walks away. A few tears slide down my face. No one notices, they all think it's sweat, exertion from crushing his dreams.

Part of me knows I should be thrilled; I won the Grand Festival! This from the girl who sucked at in-game Contests for, like, five months!

But the other part of me keeps recalling what Entei said. '_She should not have come here.' _I don't belong here. I shouldn't be here. If I had just died like everyone else, Harley would be happy, and the winner of this Grand Festival.

I break away from the crowds, finally, and rush outside of the hall. The trees are whispering to me; some whisper encouragement, some whisper jeers. I press on. Have to find him. I look down. "The rose!" I whisper happily. "I'll give him the rose!" There's a tag attached to it, and I scribble something down quickly.

Now, to find Harley. He's from Slateport; probably feels more comfortable near the ocean, by the edge of the sea. I spy a flash of amethyst near the Lilycove Harbor, and rush there, ignorant of the cold seeping into my threadbare jeans.

"HARLEY!" I screech. The flash of amethyst wavers. All is silent. I pound my legs into the snow, urging them on faster. I finally catch up with him. He's standing outside the building, staring at the sea. He's there. "Harley," I breathe a sigh of relief, "Thank god you're here, I—" He interrupts me.

"Don't say a goddamn word to me." He snarls, and I flinch at his voice. "Harley, please—" He turns to me, eyes bright with anger. "I was supposed to win this year's Festival, _not you!" _The air has turned harsh and hazy from the heat of his anger.

"If you hadn't gone and landed your pathetic ass in my world, I WOULD HAVE WON!" I shake from his anger, and from my own, and from something else. "It isn't my fault! I DIDN'T ASK TO BE HERE!" I scream. He smirks cruelly.

"Really? Then leave. No one wants you anymore." I snap. "FUCK YOU, HARLEY!" He turns to me, and with utter venom in his voice, stops me in my tracks.

"Lucy Saxon, you goddamn _**whore.**__" _


	32. Cliffside dwellings! Lucy, look out!

(Yes, Harley was a complete baby, sore loser, and blah blah blah. But he loves her. You'll see. They are a couple, goddamnit. I said so. And I will write. It might take a few more chapters, (about three, tops), but she'll forgive him. Everyone deserves a second chance. And he loves her, he really does. So, don't own! P.S. As to the ending, I'm updating soon. Again, don't kill me. BTW, I did take Galbinus as the name of a Rayquaza. It means 'green' in Latin, and it sounds cool. Not from the real Galby.)

* * *

I stop. No, he didn't. He didn't just say that. It looks like he's having a hard time of believing he said that, too. I don't care. I fling the rose away, and walk off. The snow crunches softly under my feet. Rhythm, pokemon, and me. That's all I need.

He stares off at my retreating form, quietly contemplating chasing after me. But what would he say? '_Hey, sorry I called you a whore, and brought up traumatic memories and all, wanna make out?" _

_

* * *

-Harley's POV-_

'_What have I done? What have I done? How could I... be so... blind? _

_All is lost... Spoiled all! Spoiled all... What have I done...?' _

That was her song. Her ipod, the one she'd let me listen to. '_This girl has run far away... now she's gone... now she's gone... now she's all gone...' _More music. Great, the songs are on her side too. I cursed. "Godamnit, leave me alone!"

Cacturne bursts out of his pokeball. And he looks pissed. "_Harley, you shallow son of a bitch." _He spits. I blink. Cacturne, my Cacturne? Why doesn't he... "_YOU MADE__ HER CRY!" _He roars. I flinch at his harshness. "_What for?! I'll goddamn tell you! A FUCKING CUP! YOU GAVE AWAY THE ONE YOU LOVED FOR A FUCKING CUP!" _The others burst out, as well. And they're all on her side.

"_Harley_." Banette points downward. "_Look."_ I pad over a foot or so, feet crunching in the snow. It's so loud now, now that her sobs aren't here. I look down.

A rose.

She gave me a goddamn rose. I pick it up gently from the snow, afraid it's going to crumble to ashes in my hands. Three words are written on the card attached to the rose; '_I love you.' _

It hit me then; I really hurt her, didn't I? I did... I grip the rose tightly, thanking the pain when it comes, when maybe I can feel an ounce of the pain she has to be feeling now. Lucy. Oh, Latias. I have to find her. At least apologize. Then leave. It'd be better for her if I just left.

_

* * *

-Lucy's POV-_

I don't ever wanna see him again. My pokemon are back, back with May and Drew. Good. Guys, take care of them, and don't let Harley have them. Let them follow me, if they wish. Szeren can find me.

I stop running. I wasn't even aware I was running... where am I? Where have I gone? I look over the edge. I'm on the top of Mt. Pyre. Smoke swirls around me, swishing around my hands and face. I speak into the abyss. "I'm not a whore. No matter what dad made me do, no matter what he said. _I'm not." _I call.

The abyss might look back, but talk back? Since WHEN? But it did.

'_Lucy, sweetie, why don't you just go? Everyone, everywhere you go, no matter what you do, they hate you. Why try? Just jump. It'd be a lot easier. Sweetie, jump. For me?' _The voice, apparently in the abyss, soothes me. Honey coated in venom, but I'm too disturbed to care.

"But I thought you said everyone hated me... why don't you?" I ask. The voice falters. Why? That seems like a legitimate question... '_Because, sweetie.' _The voice purrs smoothly, apparently righting itself. '_I know what's best for _everyone, _dear. So hurry up.' _

I peek over the edge of Mt. Pyre, and stare into the abyssal darkness. "But... but..." The voice sighs. '_Suppose I have yet to convince you... ah well, time is certainly not of the essence. It's not like anyone's gonna come looking for you.' _

_

* * *

-Third Person POV, Legends' Court-_

"_DAMN YOU, CUR!" _Hiromi roars. The great Sky Dragon, Third-Class, is wound tightly to a chair, gripping it in his fury. "_SHE IS STRONG! SHE WON'T FALL FOR YOUR TRICKS!" _A Mew nods in agreement. She is tethered by chains, cold hunks of metal that do not belong on a great Mew like her. They glow with a cold, wicked energy. She seems to be in pain, yet speaks with great effort.

"_Damn straight. I raised her. She won't. She's not stupid." _Vita speaks firmly, daring him to challenge her beliefs. "_This kiddo took down Team Rocket. She tamed the First-Class Kyogre and Groudon. All with me. I know exactly what she'll do; tell you to go fuck yourself_." She swings her head at the Mews in the First Class. Some shake their heads with pity for their 'fallen' brethren.

The Entei growls, raising his head threateningly at Vita. She sticks her small pink tongue out him, and blows a raspberry. He snorts. "_No matter. She's lost all she had; do you expect she wants more pain?"_

A Shaymin pipes up from a cage, "_She's smart! She has us! She caught me, she can do anything! She can see through your stupid lies, Volcano-Breath!" _The Shaymin is met with cheers by some, and boos and hisses from others. Though she is obviously young, she stands her ground, looking around defiantly.

The imposing figure of Entei towers over Seraphia. The hedgehog Gaia mother cowers. A Daakurai snarls, and raises a hand. "_Touch her, and Third-Class or not, I will assure horrific nightmares for the rest of your life, scum." _Entei growls at him, and the rest of the assembled Legendaries in chains, before padding to a stage, and roaring to attract attention.

"_We are gathered here today to witness the death of Lucida Saxon, world-defiler, and her Third-Class scum. Any objections, voice them now." _A few brave Legends bark their disagreement, but they are silenced by two Raikou standing guard over Entei, who snarl at anyone close enough to zap. A pale pink Mew sighs.

"_Lucy, I am sorry. You'll have to brave this on your own. I, the Great Mother, can do nothing." _She glances down at her own chains. "_I cannot." _

A crimson Eon Pokemon glances at her brother. "_Jetstream, is there nothing I can do? Warn her?" _The Latias is desperate to protect her trainer, even though she might suffer greatly for it. She darts her head nervously from side to side.

The Latios shakes his head in sorrow. "_I'm afraid not, Ichigo. He'd see. And he would kill her himself." _He shudders at the thought.She shrinks back. "_Oh, okay... Lucy, be careful!" _She pleads.

Entei swivels his head. "_Galbinus, great Seer, what say you?" _The giant Rayquaza growls. "_I will say nothing on this matter. This girl has chosen her own fate; I can see nothing." _But he lied to Entei. He knew what this girl would choose.

And unless someone—or maybe her spirit, intervened...

Well, he certainly didn't want to think about _that._

_

* * *

-Harley's POV-_

I have to find her! I just have to apologize, and then I'm gone. But I have to find her pokemon first. They can tell me where she is. And we can go find her... oh, goddamn. Lucy. Lucylucylucy. Luvvy. Dollface.

She cried to me. I'd promised her that her stepfather, he couldn't hurt her here... and _I'd _ended up hurting her. I wanted to kill myself from shame. How shallow could I get? Over a cup... there was always next year. If I was as good as I claimed, I could win next year.

But I can't get her back. Oh, god. Lucy. Hate me all you want; I deserve it. But please, please, just be okay.

'_Lucida Saxon, you whore.'_

Four words to choke upon.

I rush back to the Contest Hall. May and Drew are outside, frantically looking for Lucy with Szeren and the others. I come to a screeching halt. Hanging my head, I say softly, "I... I found her. She, well, I...I kinda... called her a whore." I explain this in a rush.

My cheeks are wet.

When did I start crying?

May walks up to me. She's still shorter than I am, I realize.

And she backhands me across the face. "WHAT THE FUCK?!" She roars at me, drawing herself up to full height. "HARLEY, WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO?!" Before I can answer her, I'm knocked to the ground. I feel about one hundred pounds press on to me, and I gasp for air.

'_I'LL KILL YOU!' _Szeren. '_YOU SON OF A BITCH! I'LL KILL YOU!' _I look up into her savage face. She's crying too, fat wet tears sliding down her rough face. She roars at me, and I see the incisors and fangs that would love to rip into me right now. For an instant, I'm too terrified to speak.

'_DO YOU KNOW WHAT SHE HAS BEEN THROUGH!? DO YOU JUST NOT CARE?!' _Szeren picks me up, and tosses me away effortlessly. I gasp for air, as the wind gets knocked out of me. It takes me a minute to catch my breath, and yell, "I'm trying to find her! I have to apologize! And then..." I look away. "Then I'm leaving. She needs better." Szeren considers this, growls trapped in her throat. "I need your help. Please."

She growls, smalls flames shooting out of her nostrils. "_Fine. After this, it's up to her. I highly doubt she'll choose to stay." _I see Crash and Faris coming out of the hall now; but unlike the rest of us, they seem happy and carefree, hugging each other and smiling. I nod.

"Okay. Let's go. May, Drew, I know you both probably hate me, but please don't involve Crash. I couldn't stand it." They nod grudgingly. I turn to Lucy's pokemon. "Come on." Erose looks like he'd like to Poisonpowder my ass into oblivion as we climb on Szeren. Zero and Sachiko aren't out, but Bleak looks mad enough for all three.

As we fly around, I know my tears are dripping onto Szeren. She doesn't say anything, but I think I hear her sigh.

* * *

-_Lucy's POV-_

What a nice person this voice is! And what it says is true, too—I shouldn't be here. With Harley, I thought that this was where I was meant to be, but, well, now... I have no one. Szeren and the others are on Harley's side, the voice said. They all think I'm a whore, too.

Fine.

'_Lucy, hurry. Don't fret, luvvy. It'll be like going to the next level... yes, the next level...' _I smile. I guess... the voice is right. That's what every gamer wants, isn't it?

It'll be like going to the next level... yes, the next level...

I stand up, and inch to the edge. '_There's a good girl.' _The voice whispers.

* * *

-_Harley's POV-_

Okay, now we're checking Mt. Pyre. I just have a feeling; she's been here before, she may come back. The two orbs light the sky, and I tell Szeren to duck below to clouds to search closer. Up on the tallest peak... is that, Lucy? Oh my god. Szeren's eyes widen.

"_Boy! She's... Entei!" _Having no clue what she means, she relays the message anyway. They've got a strong bond, to feel each other's thoughts. Or is it because she's a pokemon? But... he called her _luvvy._ My eyes widen. "_THAT IS FUCKING IT!" _I roar. "_NO ONE CALLS HER LUVVY BUT __ME__!" _Szeren snorts in laughter. She's banking down, towards Lucy.

"LUUUCCCCY! LUUUUUVVVYY!" I roar. She looks up. "HARLEY! HARLEY, IT'S OKAY, YOU CAME! I LO—" And for a terrible, horrible minute, she smiles at me. But she stops, and her face contorts, like she's being shoved. And she jumps off the edge of the mountain into the abyss.

_

* * *

-Lucy's POV-_

I see you. I see you, Harley. Did you just... call me luvvy? Harley?

Are you still mad? I think... I'm not. You don't look like you are, either; you just look scared. I think, I think, it's okay. If you're not mad, I forgive you. I love you, Harley. Everyone deserves a second chance. I'm ready to grab his hand, when this... this force, whatever, pushes me.

Oh my god, no. I'm falling.

I'm going down, faster, faster, faster—Harley's screaming my name, I love you, I'm scared, this time, it's not an Appeal, no one's here to catch me.

I'm gonna fall.


	33. Two weeks of waiting! Arceus attack!

(Yes, it's finally up. Since it's the holidays, it's quite possible I won't get to update Reclaiming the Night until after Christmas. So sorry. Soon as possible, I promise. Don't own. Slight bits of Originshipping; very slight, so wev.)

* * *

I stay silent. I know I'm going to die, what's the point?

I feel my foot snag against a rock, and I gasp in pain as I'm pulled up. Wait. I'm pulled UP. I'm saved! I collapse into the chest of my savior, and faint from exhaustion, fear, and shock. I hear, "_Ssshhh, dollface. Harley's gotcha." _And then silence, and black. And sleep.

I sleep for god knows how long. I don't want to know. I just want to stay asleep forever, but someone is poking me, and calling my name. "Fuck you," I mutter. "I gotta sleep." Two hands shove me out of bed. "She's up!" I growl angrily, and sit up. I look into the smirking face of... "EX-Champion Steven Stone." I snarl, angry at my interrupted sleep. He rolls his eyes.

"Way to insult, kid. Come on, they're out in the other room." I stand up, and observe my surroundings. "Pardon my language, but where the FUCK am I?" I growl, raking an eye over the surroundings of bed, and... rug. W00t.

"Hoenn League. We figured we needed you, what with the whole Magma/Aqua fiasco going on right now." I blink. Oh, crap. I sleep for FIVE MINUTES, and this is what happens? Am I the world's keeper?

He continues. "So far, the whole world has been flashing between boiled and drenched. Not fun. So, ideas? We're a bit desperate." I shrug. "Lemme call Brendan. If he's at home, he can get Hiromi." Steven nods, and opens the door.

Harley has apparently been frantically pacing, and threatening to bust down the door, and life support my ass. I raise an eyebrow. "Hello." He somehow takes this as a sign of hatred, and bursts into tears.

"I'M SORRY!" He wails. I raise an eyebrow. "Harley, that's... nice, but not enough. I need..." I take a breath. "I need to think. You hurt me, a lot. I love you, but sorry doesn't help much." He sighs.

"Fine. Understand I love you more than the air I breathe. Understand I will stalk you, if necessary to get you back. But, only if you want me. If not, I'm gone—" He's cut off by me tackling him.

"_Oh god, no. Don't you leave me, too. Don't you EVER leave me." _I mutter into the crook of his neck, clutching at him in abject terror. He blinks, until he gets it. Smiling, his arms encircle my waist.

"Okay. I'll never leave you, dollface." I look up to him. I couldn't stand to lose something else. I'd lost my life, my parents, my innocence, and everything a child—no, a human being, should have.

Now I had him, shaky or not. And he was staying right where he was, damnit. "Promise me." I ask him. He nods. "Okay. I promise on my mother's eyes that I will never, ever leave you." I sigh in relief. "Okay. I can keep you with me forever. Yay." He smiles, crying just a bit.

"Love you, dollface." I don't complain he's calling me dollface. I just don't care. I draw myself up.

"BUT. The authoress is a staunch feminist, and she says that I can't kiss you for another two weeks, at least. And she says you should be lucky I didn't dump your ass." Harley pouts, as a voice in the background cheers.

'_Take THAT, feminine mystique!" _

Steven interrupts. "ANYWAY. Lucy. We need to find a way to calm Kyogre and Groudon. Call Brendan." I sigh, and punch the number in my cell. It rings monotonously in my ear for a bit, and then Brendan picks up.

'_Lucy! What's up?' _I sigh. "Hey, Brendan. I was wondering... can you get Hiromi over here?' He inhales deeply on the other end. Not good.

'_The gang's missing.' _I gasp, and drop my phone. Scrabbling to pick it up, sheer terror envelops my mind once again. No, my babies. Not my babies. '_We've been looking for them, but with this fiasco going on, we haven't been able to contact you. The lab looks like there's been a struggle.' _Hands shaking, I order him, "Get over here, right now. I need backup, damnit. NOW, Brendan." He gulps, and nods. Hanging up, I explain the situation.

Lucian sums it up best; "Well, we're fucked." I roll my eyes. "...There IS one Legend I didn't give to Birch." Lance starts.

"Well, why didn't you SAY so?! Which one?!" He roars. I wince. The shark of all sharks. The God Pokemon. The Creator, blah blah blah. "My Arceus." The entire room is silent. Cynthia asks, a bit nervously,

"THE Arceus. The one who shaped the world." I nod. This sets off a chain of reactions; the pokemon look awed that their god has been caught by some teenager, and the humans look scared out of their minds.

"The very same. Anyway, Story can get us to the Legends' Court, I think. The Azure Flute." Everyone points to the PC in the corner. I look around. "You do realize that by doing this, I could doom us all to death by pokemon." They all glare at me. I hold up my hands in a sign of defeat. "Okay, okay. Getting pokemon. Sweet Mew." Rolling my eyes, I nervously hand Harley Zero's pokeball, and withdraw Story.

I toss the Cherish Ball gently, and pray to god he's not going to kill me. The others cover their heads. Cacturne shoves Harley in front of him. "HEY!" He whines. There's a flash of bright light—

An Arceus no higher than my waist is sitting on the floor, wagging his small tail happily, and PURRING. "_LUCY_!" He cheeps in a perfect human tongue. I stare. "St-story? Aren't you... all-powerful? Or something?" He shrugs his Icy antler things.

'_No, that's my great-great-great-great-great-great-grandfather, or something. I'm not really all-powerful." _I remembered that the greatest trainer would be allowed to catch the God Pokemon. This isn't him.

"Well, that just knocked my self-esteem down a few pegs." I mutter angrily. Ignoring the snorts of controlled laughter behind me, I ask Story, "Where is the Azure Flute, Story? We need it. Your family's in trouble." He thinks.

"_Ummm... I think it's in the Cave of Origin." _Wallace pipes up, "But why? 'Cave's in Hoenn..." Story shakes his head. "_Regions meant nothing to Greatest Mew. She put the Cave of Origin in as a place for the other Tests to reside." _I blink. "Tests?" He shakes his head.

"_Not now, mommy. We have to go." _I'm a bit annoyed at getting no explanation, but Story seems to want to go NOW, and no one wants to piss off an Arceus. I stare out at the sea, now roiling and frosty, and sigh. "Goddamnit, how do we get there quickly?" The others consider their pokeballs.

Lance formulates a plan. "Lorelei and I will take Dragga. Bruno and Agatha will take Dragonair, and Wallace and Steven can take Maybelline. Lucy, you go to Littleroot with Harley, May, and Drew, and get Brendan. Meet us in Sootopolis." Sensing we needed to go, I grabbed Story and the others, and clambered on Szeren.

She hauled ass to Littleroot, so fast that I started to get a bit motion sick. "Ew..." I dry heaved, as she yelled, "_I see him! He's in Petalburg!" _She banked down, and I practically fell off.

"Hi, Lucy! You came to pick me up? Gee, isn't that nice... I was waiting for Mr. Briney, but he has Alzheimer's, SO. Yeah. Let's go." He jumped onto Szeren. I raised my eyebrow, but said nothing.

We were soaring over Mossdeep, when Harley decided to place a not-too-chaste kiss on my lips. I rolled my eyes, and bit his tongue. "_Owth!" _He muttered, silenced somewhat. I grinned, and reminded him.

"Two chapters of celibacy... _dollface." _I mocked. He growled angrily, and hissed at me. I giggled. I noticed Szeren sounded quite amused, judging from the raspy hurrs issuing from her mouth.

Harley pouted the entire way to Sootopolis. I smiled evilly, as we headed down, lighting down near the Cave of Origin. I glanced up at the humongous marble pillars guarding the place, and marked offhandedly, "You know, it always looked a LOT smaller when you're in the game." Wallace snorted ungraciously.

"_Oui, _you think?" I growl halfheartedly at him, and stomp angrily in. Volkner is checking the walls curiously, almost expecting something horrible to happen. I sigh, and pull out my lighter.

I flick it on, and as we walk through the tunnels, the combined light from Flint's Infernape and Rapidash, Szeren, and Blaziken keep us alert. It gives the faces of the humans a ghoulish cast, however, and I grin mischievously at seeing a terrified Wallace grip Steven like a liferaft.

I keep dwelling back to what Story said about the 'Tests'. What did he MEAN? I shrugged mentally, and urged the others forward. "WALLACE! Are we there yet?" I yell back. He checks the entrance to the tunnel, and nods. "Yeah, just another right. We'll be at the Chamber of Wait." I nod, and rush forward, feet throbbing as they connect with rock through thin, crap-ass shoes.

I come to a screeching halt in front of a huge cavern opening. I stop. Seriously, I had to keep reminding myself this was no longer the game. Shivering, I waited for the others. Flint shook his head. "Well, figures. Who's going first?" I shove Harley in, and run right after. He sighs, and mutters something under his breath, before grabbing Volkner's hand, and cheerfully dragging him in.

"Dude, this place freaks me the fuck OUT." Aaron mutters angrily, kicking his way through a pile of rock. Bad, bad idea. His eyes widen. "Ah, crap." A wave of water comes roaring through, thanks to the Kyogre-caused floods. I sigh, and send out Ace. "Ice Beam!" She snorts at Aaron's terrified expression, and freezes the water into a glimmering block of glacier ice. Smirking at Lance, I flip my hair.

"Oh look, a dragon that knows Ice Beam. 'Dragon Master', huh, fool?" He, Clair, and Drake all glower at me. "I HAVE a Salamence." Drake growls. I nod.

"Wev, old man. Yours know Ice Beam? Uh-uh, foo. HA!" My moment of glory is interrupted by a shriek. Wallace is clutching at Steven in abject terror. I fear the worst. He manages to stammer out;

"Zubat... it, like, attacked me! IT ATE MY FACE OFF!" Steven sighed. "Don't see a half-eaten face, dearest idiot Champion." He pats his face hysterically, making sure everything is intact, and not Zubat-mangled.

I believe Brendan summed up what we were all thinking;

"Sweet almighty Mew, we are so fucked."


	34. Hiromi's defense! Entei's Punishment!

(Hi guys! Okay, in about five chapters, I need a serious setting change. So, I present to you two scenarios.

Either Lucy goes to the Battle Frontier, or goes to Johto. I really have no idea, and I want your feedback. Please. I can't quite decide, so if you have a preference, let me know in a review. -wink- Anyways, don't own. As usual.)

* * *

I put my head in my hands. "I seriously hate all of you right now." I growl. They shrug. "Steven, I think it's this way." Wallace pipes up, Zubat incident forgotten. I roll my eyes, and set off in that direction. Kicking rocks aside, something thuds on my head.

"Ow! FUCK!" I groan. Picking up a blue rock, I examine it, and toss it aside. '_Uh... mommy?' _Story said. I turn to him. "What?" He sighs.

"_That... was the Azure Flute."_ I gape. "WHY was it hidden in the CEILING?!" I shrieked. Story shrugged, as the others gaped at me, all probably deciding I was an idiot. An irredeemable idiot.

"_Mew levitates. She might've thought it was a good hiding spot." _My eye twitched. "WHATEVER. We have to find it." I groan, scanning the area for the Flute. I get an idea, and snap my fingers.

"Bleak! Lock On, look for the Flute!" His eyes glow white, and he swings his head from side to side. "_Here_." He growls, padding over to a pile of rocks, and picking it up reverently. He lopes over to me, and places it in my hands. I examine it.

"Should I be the one to play this?" I question. Flint shrugs. "Anyone else we know with an Arceus?" I grin. "Point duly noted." I press the Azure Flute to my lips, and begin to play, a soft trilling tune. Everyone stops and listens quietly.

The Flute's beginning to play as if it's a self-playing instrument I happen to be pressing the buttons to. I close my eyes, and play faster. The others see a bright white light beginning to issue from the Flute, but I am unawares, playing faster and faster.

"LUCY!" Harley screams, before he's met with an otherworldly wail, and then white. I open my eyes again. "Well, we're not in the Cave anymore..." I note.

Drew picks himself up off the ground, a pure white road-thing. "Thank you, Captain Obvious. Anything else you'd like to comment on?" I growl, "Grass Ass." He hisses at me, until May speaks.

"I hear screaming..." She notes. Tuning my ears to the sound, I gasp. "Ichi!" I tear off down the road, feet thumping in tune with the blood in my ears. The others blink. "Well, let's not waste time. Shall we?" Harley tears off after me first, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

I am blocked by a pair of pearly white gates. "HARLEY!" I roar. He skids to a stop right in front of the gates. "Use Wigglytuff!" He rolls his eyes.

"_Brass knuckles, GO_!" Said pink rabbit roared. He slammed a fist into the gates, and they shattered on impact. He looked smug, and gave the 'I'm watching you' sign. I winced. "I seriously hope we're not paying for this." Harley and I stepped in gingerly, praying it wasn't as dangerous as it looked.

Of course, it was. I called out Sachiko. "Can you help us look?" I asked her. She nodded, and closed her eyes, searching out telepathically. The others caught up with us, and in understanding, stayed silent.

I heard another scream, and without warning, tore off in that direction, once again. I am blocked by a gigantic door, one that not even Wigglytuff's Brass Knuckles can break. "Damnit!" I scream, slamming against the door. "OPEN, YOU FAT SONOFABITCH! I SAID OPEN!" I roared.

Rolling his eyes, Story tapped it with his paw, and it opened. My eye twitched. "Oh, you've GOT to be kidding me. Elitist bastards." May rolled her eyes.

"If they weren't, we wouldn't be here." I nodded. "Fair enough. Now let's go." We walked through the doorway, and I yelled Hiromi's name. I heard a roar in reply. "I'M COMING!!" I shrieked, and raced past the tiered things that resembled an area—hadn't I seen those before?

I looked up. They were all there. Seraphia was crying. Rogue was soothing her, as they were being torn apart with words on some sort of stage. I snapped. "HEY!" I roared, racing up the steps to the stage. "DON'T MAKE HER CRY, FUCKERS!" Every single eye in the room was on me. I waved. "...Hi..."

Harley stared. Then he began to bang his head on the arena. "She's so dead." He noted through a haze of pain. Note to self; while a quick reliever of pain, banging your head on a wall is like drinking alcohol; it's good for five minutes. Then you wake up with a hangover.

"Let them go!" I yelled. The old Entei I'd seen from before growled at me. '_I highly doubt you have much say in this, world-defiler." _I blinked. "What the fuck?" Seraphia squealed, '_MOMMY, RUN!" _I turned to her, which proved my undoing.

I was seized by a psychic energy, and thrown to the ground, unable to move. I spat and hissed, struggling, but getting nowhere fast. "_We are gathered here today to now witness the trial of both Lucy Saxon, and her pokemon. Crimes: She has come to a world not her own. The walls must never be broken. Her pokemon have aided her in this. Sentence is death." _I bit my lip.

Entei stomped a paw down, summoning a swirly portal thing. "_Lucy, if you are found guilty, you will be sent back to the human world, and this time, die for good. If you are found not guilty, you and you Legends are free to go. But," _He smirked, "_I just don't see that happening." _

I was silent. I was trying to process this. I was NOT going back to that shithole. Not after everything that had happened, no way. I grasp Hiromi's claw for comfort, as he begins.

"_Lucy did not ask to come here." _He growls. "_She does not know how she came, or why. She doesn't know why Kyogre and Groudon are fighting again, nor does she know much else about what has been going on. But she is here. Why is this such a bad thing? She has done no wrong, never abused her powers. She never used us for personal gain. Why do you imprison her if all she has done is be herself? Every trainer fights. Some are strong. Some are weak. None end up like her." _I gape. My lawyer is apparently my Rayquaza.

What. The. Fuck.

"_All she was given here was a second chance. She wanted this more than anything in the world. Let her be in peace. Let her be free. We have done no wrong. We have committed no crime, yet we are here. Do you really believe we are a threat? Did it ever occur to you that if we were a threat, we would not be in your possession right now?" _He closes his mouth, apparently finished. I gape. Entei closes his eyes.

"_I see. Guilty. Of defiance, this time." _I shriek. "WHAT THE FUCK?!" He shakes his head. "_This is my court now. No longer is it lead by that pitiful Mew. She is now my underling. As you are now my examples." _He addresses the other Legendaries. "_This is what happens when you defy me!" _I scream, as I am yanked forward.

"LUCY!" Harley screams, leaping up after me. Every Legend is trained on him. He suddenly realizes that this MAY not have been a good idea. His pokemon all come exploding out of their pokeballs. He smiles, as they gather around him protectively. "_We go down, we go down fighting." _Wigglytuff growls, cracking his brass knuckles. Harley rolls his eyes, and I laugh.

The others grimly call out their pokemon, as well. About fifty pokemon are growling at the Legendaries, hackles raised. Szeren extends her wings, like a cobra with their hood, and roars. Entei shoves me toward the spiral thing. "_See you in hell." _He growls. Instantly, the other pokemon explode into fighting. But it's useless.

I'm being sucked in. Harley reaches me, and grabs my hand. "DON'T YOU DARE LET GO, DOLLFACE!" He screams hysterically. I grasp his hand as tightly as I can. Brendan looks up. "Zuzu, go get Entei! Mimi!" He calls for his Milotic. "Help him! Ruru, go get Lucy!" May is ordering a Blizzard to Skitty, and a Silver Wind for Beautifly. "BLAZIKEN!" She roars at the fire chicken. "GO GET LUCY!"

I now have Ruru and Blaziken helping me. Flint looks over. "Lopunny! Go!" I can't help but groan. If the slutbunny saves me, I'm going to kill someone. The others are handling the Legendaries best they can; mine are doing everything they can, busting free of the chains. "ROTTER!" I roar. Faris Rotter, my Mewtwo looks up. "HELP!" He throws me out of the portal with a burst of psychic energy. I shriek, as I fall on top of Harley. Getting up to help fight, I step on his face, and leap off. He sighs, and gets up, ordering Wigglytuff to...to...

Wigglytuff is now a psychotic combo of Sweeney Todd, and Rambo. He even has the razors. "He's _singing." _Harley notes in horror. I crack up, and listen to the lyrics. "_My lucky friends... 'Til now your shine was merely silver. Friends, you shall drip rubies, you'll soon drip precious rubies..." _I wonder vaguely how he knows the songs from 'Sweeney Todd', and then realize I don't care. This is too funny.

We watch in silent horror as he cuts a swathe of carnage across the field. Drew raises an eyebrow, and turns to Harley. "If you were allowed to kill in Contests, Wigglytuff would be a champ." We all nod solemnly. "True, that."

I glance back at the portal. "How do we shut that?" I ask. Faris Rotter closes his eyes, and the portal swoops shut. I grin. "Thanks, Rotter." He smirks. I yell for the pokemon to fall back, all except for Wigglytuff. "LET US GO, AND WIGGLYTUFF WON'T KILL YOU!" I roar. All except for Entei, they immediately stop fighting. Wigglytuff pouts. "_Awww... damnit." _

Entei growls at me. "_You can—" _A pale pink Mew finally is able to break free of her chains. I gape. "_Entei. Cease." _He stops, frozen by a psychic energy. I blink. "Mew?" She nods. "_Greatest Mother." _

I was never a religious person. I hated most of it, in fact. But this small creature just seems... like someone I could see people worshipping. I bow my head. "_Child. Rayquaza was right, you have done no wrong. You may stay. But," _Her face turns serious. "_In exchange, we need your help. Groudon and Kyogre are fighting. We need you to stop them, or this time everyone truly will die." _I nod.

"But one thing, Greatest Mother. What are the Tests?" She laughs. "_You were tested by the Legendaries throughout your time on earth, I am sure. Do you remember being judged by the monks?" _I nod. "And fighting Suicune. But... but everyone did that!" She acknowledged this with a wave of her hand.

"_Yes, but how many passed? How many truly loved their pokemon?" _She continues. "_How many honestly answered the Dragon Master's questions, without deceit or falsehoods? How many truly wanted Kyogre and Groudon to stop fighting, not just to continue on for another badge, another Legendary?" _I protested.

"But I'm sure there HAD to be a few others!" She nodded. "_There were a few... but none quite like you. You had nothing else but your pokemon. You wanted—no, needed—an escape. And I decided that such loyalty and love for our world had to be rewarded." _I bow my head. "Thank you." She smiles, and shakes her head.

"_You've paid your debt. You have freed me. Now, as to dealing with him..." _She gestures to Entei. Wigglytuff waves a razor wildly in the air. I shake my head.

"No... don't kill him. Put him in the game. To be _'caught like any other pokemon.'" _I smirk. Groaning, Wigglytuff puts away his razors. Entei barks in horror. Mew smirks. "_Poetic justice... so it shall be." _The portal he was going to use to send me back reopened, and Entei was dragged in, roaring curses to the end.

It's horribly quiet now. Harley holds my hands. "I'm really glad you didn't go." He said softly. I nod. "Me too." I glare at the others, daring them to giggle like the five-year-olds they are. Luckily, they're silent.

"Can we go home now? I'm hungry." Drew whines. Okay, mebbe not QUIET, but you get it. I roll my eyes. "Let me just say goodbye..." I hug Hiromi. "_Thank you, I love you." _I whispered. Hiromi nuzzles me.

"_I love you too, brat." _He growls. Vita says nothing, partly because she is silent during her 'sacred moment' times, and partly because she's _–this- _close to passing out from being soused. I roll my eyes.

Story decides to stay with the other Legends in Littleroot. As we climb on Hiromi's back, I see Mew yelling something about Sootopolis. I remember. "Right! Hiro! Groudon and Kyogre!" He nods, and banks down into another portal, this one to Sootopolis.

Upon arrival, I am immediately drenched. "HOLY FUCKING SHIT!" Harley screams. Is it because the seas are roiling, the ground is baking, and two humongous Legendaries are fighting right before our eyes?

No...

"MY HAIR!" He wails, clutching at his amethyst locks. "GODDAMNIT, HUMIDITY _AND_ RAIN, YOU BASTARDS?! DEAR GOD! WHY HAST THOU FORSAKEN ME SO!?!!" I contemplate jumping off Hiromi, and letting Groudon or Kyogre eat me.

I see the others laughing hysterically. I want to die. I slap him over my head, and yell, "How do we DO this?! THEY NEVER SHOWED YOU THIS SHIT IN THE GAME!!!" Now I'm freaking out, but at least _I _have a legit excuse! We could all DIE!

Hiromi shakes his head, and laughs. He roars. This roar is bone-shattering. Groudon's land he's amassed is slowly becoming water again. Kyogre's watery graves are turning back to their natural, earthy state. I blink. "Hey... wait... Air Lock!" I get it. Hiromi nods, and with another roar, gets Kyogre and Groudon to look at him. He growls, addressing the both of them.

"_You don't belong here. Go, now. Go to your heaven. Leave the humans be." _They growl at him, but I see them beginning to liquescence, like they're dissapearing. Two humans yell angry from the top of a cliff.

"Oh, look, Archie and Maxie. Can Wigglytuff kill them?" I note disinterestedly. Harley rolls his eyes. "NO." Wigglytuff gives the cutthroat sign to his trainer, and swells up. I giggle. Hiromi swerves over to them, and growls softly, announcing his arrival.

They turn back to see him, and their eyes get huge. He snorts. "_I suggest you follow their example, and leave, before I decide I'm hungry." _

They hauled ass faster than you could say 'Hannibal Hiromi Lecter'. As I snorted in laughter, May asked hesitantly, "You don't _really _eat people, do you?"

In response, Hiromi laughs.

May clutches Drew's arm in terror all the way back to Littleroot. I just roll my eyes.

"You know, I coulda done this on Earth, and not have to deal with you fuckjobs." I groan. Harley pouts. "But you do it because you _wuv _us."

Just as Hiromi did, I laugh, saying nothing.

"Lucy... you do love us, right? Lucy...? HEY! LUCY!"


	35. Do you wanna end up like Mark?

(There's a lot of Kiddo-style humor in this chapter, meaning going off on random tangents that even the authoress doesn't get, RENT jokes, and jokes at Harley's expense. And everything else. It's from reading Rose's fics, I swear. Humor, sap, and fluff... what have I become!?!

Don't worry, I am still a horror writer at heart. But it's HARD to keep up a trainer fic solely based off of horror! Have YOU ever tried!?! Yeah, that's what I THOUGHT. Don't own. And in all seriousness, go out and buy RENT right now, and watch it. It is THAT good. BTW, Wonder Pokemon Trio showing up next chapter.)

* * *

Once we dropped Story, Brendan, and Hiromi off in Littleroot, Professor Birch offered his house for us all to stay at; it had been a really exhausting week, to put it mildly. 

Once I had gone outside to train with Brendan and spend time with the Legends, Harley went through my bag quickly.

What was he looking for?

The movie I had mentioned. RENT. He clasped his fingers around the prize. "Ha! NOW I can get her to love me again!" The psycho Coordinator cheered.

Yes, through the power of choreographed dance and spontaneous bursts of singing, Lucy would be his again. Or something.

He quickly turned the movie on, and settled in to watch. He stared intently at the screen, processing the information. Banette sighed. "_Harley, has it ever occurred to you that this might not work, and maybe she'll be pissed you went through her bag without asking?" _Harley glared at his pokemon.

"Shut up. Just shut up, Bane. I have to get her back! EVEN IF IT KILLS YOU!" Banette groaned, and went out to join the slightly more normal Lucy.

Keynote the world 'slightly'.

Harley is mostly interested by Roger and Mimi. Roger completely ditches her, humiliates her, runs off to Santa Fe, (wherever that was), and Mimi still loves him. After, like, two years, she still wants to be with him, after he was a jerk to her. So... "I got it!" He screeched. "I have to learn to play the guitar!" Cacturne stares at him for a second, before slapping him upside the head.

"_No, you retard. Just... be yourself." _He stopped for a second. "_Actually, no. That would make it WORSE. So, why not take her on a legitimate date?" _Harley sighed.

"Couldn't I just learn to play the guitar?" He whined. Cacturne's glare seals the deal. "_Do you want to end up like Mark?" _He growled. Harley blinked.

"You mean I'd lose Lucy to MAY!?!" (1) This sends him over the edge. "FIRST THE CONTESTS, THEN EEVEE, AND NOW THIS!!!! DAMN YOU, NINTENDO!! _GET OUT OF MY LIFE_!!!" He screamed, eye twitching. All five of Harley's pokemon stopped to stare at their trainer. Wigglytuff interrupts, as usual.

"_What's wrong with Mark? I like him. So he doesn't have a girl, look what that did for Harley for the past sixteen years..." _He stops. Replaying that back in their heads, they slowly contemplate those words. Then they all crack up. Harley glares at them, but it does nothing. They keep laughing.

"Fine. _You_ laugh,_ they_ laugh, and I_ die a little inside." _He hisses angrily. They don't care. Some pokemon loyalty, huh? Guess we can't all have a little yellow rat guiding us on our shoulder.

Some of us get homicidal pink rabbits instead.

"Fine, fine. Moving on, gonna go plan something..." When Cacturne went back top relaxing, satisfied, Harley kept on watching RENT. Why not take her out somewhere? "Out Tonight..." He grins.

Bounding in, I yell, "Oooh! Can I be Mimi?!" He stares at me for a second. I stop. "Wait... you wouldn't know that song unless you'd watched RENT. Which means you must've gone... through..." I process this like an animal making an excuse to hunt something. Meaning I'd kill him anyways.

Both mine and his eyes widen; mine from realization, his from fear. "MY BAG." I growl. Harley shrieked, and he turns to run. I call for Szeren, and she growls with joy before vaulting after Harley. I roll my eyes, and snort in amusement.

"_I told you."_ Banette sighed. Harley roared, "NOT THE TIME!" And ran away, shrieking girlishly, as Szeren chased after him, growling happily. I took it out of Birch's DVD player, and smiled. That's so sweet of him... But that doesn't mean I'm stopping Szeren.

Twenty exhausting minutes later, Harley had finally escaped Szeren, and was now digging through his bag for clothes. Brendan appeared in the doorway. "Hey, Harley. What are you doing?" He asked, leaning over the Coordinator's shoulder. He rolled his eyes.

"I am taking Lucy on a date, and I need clothes. And a gun." He groaned in frustration. Brendan grinned, black hair flashing in the sun. "Right. Bad, huh?" He rolled his eyes, and nodded.

"I see. Well, you're going to need help. HEY! MAY! DREW! HARLEY'S GOT GIRRRRL TROUBLE!" Harley just sighed. "True, but still..." He bitched angrily, knowing for a FACT that this would get everyone else to feel bad for him. 'Emo kid' comes to mind.

I rolled my eyes as Brendan began talking to them quietly, as if he was planning something. Planning something awful. Involving me, I figured. And Harley's girl trouble. "Of course he's got girl trouble. But he started it." I grumble. Well, he did. Don't think that's obvious enough, and I will slap you.

Sachiko nods her agreement, before going to play with Coco and Nana. Family loyalty obviously means less to her than the chance to bring the magic of poker to a few more suckers. Szeren growls softly. "_I may just have changed my mind. He seems determined to win you back." _I shrug, but can't help being secretly thrilled he cares. I know, I have mood swings. But it's true! That means he didn't mean what he said, and he loves me!

Sometimes, I wonder if that's a good thing. Everyone else who comes to the pokemon world gets journeys both magical and 'wacky'. (Sweet Myuu, do I hate that word.) I, however, get a crazy Bulbasaur, and a cross-dressing Cacturne worshipper for a lover.

I sometimes almost regret not being a Sue. Might've made my life easier. Everything goes right for THEM. But me? Well, see above.

"Be that as it may, I'm not giving in easily." I grumble, getting back on track, and not getting distracted again for the sake of chapter length. Szeren laughs. "_I would never forgive you if you did." _She flies off with Ichigo, and I am left to guess just what on earth the others are DOING, as they drag Harley off to parts unknown.

_

* * *

-Harley's POV-_

"What is this going to do, again?" I asked uncertainly. May clasped her hands. "Get you two together again, stupid! Now come on, we have to make you look humanly presentable, and find somewhere you can take her." I growled. This little twit had never had a boyfriend besides Drew in her LIFE! What would she know!?

"Shut up, _Tent_." Drew and Brendan both backed away. May seemed to enlargen in the room. "Bitch, I'm gonna kill you." She seethed. I fled to Brendan's room, screaming again. For the second time today, I was being chased by a pissed off female, spewing flames from their mouth.

Not this again...

I slammed the door to Brendan's room shut, panting heavily. I locked myself in the closet, and before the irony could sink in, May had burst into the room. "HARLEY FUCKING DAVIDSON, THIS TIME I MEAN IT! I AM GOING TO FUCKING KILL YOU!!!" She screeched, and I decided then and there I just really needed help. I snapped my fingers. "That's it!" I shrunk back against the wall, and cowered. Banette sighed, materializing next to me.

"_Harley, you can be so pathetic." _He glowers. I roll my eyes. "I don't see you coming up with a brilliant plan." He shrugs. "_It's against my nature to hit a girl." _Harley rolled his eyes. "For Giratina's SAKE..."

May broke down the closet door with brass knuckles, which is the only decent thing she has managed to do since ending up in this fic, and capturing Skitty.

So sayeth the authoress.

"Where the FUCK did you get those?" I roared. What the FUCK? I get nail polish, she gets BRASS KNUCKLES. Fuck this, I need to shoot someone. She shrugged. "Blame YOUR Wigglytuff." I sighed. "I hate him sometimes, I really do." May shrugged, and then kicked me in the shin, and proceeded to pull my hair. "Alright, that's it,_ TENT_! NO ONE FUCKS WITH MY HAIR!"

I proceeded to fight back. Even though I have about four years on this kid, I fought back. Shut up, it's MY PRECIOUS HAIR she was hurting. I don't care HOW young she was, which, considering the Izabe Island fiasco, I shouldn't have to tell you. The lengths Nintendo went to, all for proving that I was teh EBIL! Motherfuckers.

As the two of us fought viciously, Drew videotaped this. Brendan filed his nails. Lucy was still somewhere, I wasn't sure WHERE, and I still had no idea what I was going to do for our date.

But four hours later, and a bit of detachment from May's claw-like nails, that was _NOT _going to stop me from trying.

I banged on the bathroom door. "LUCY! I NEED TO TALK TO YOU!!!" I shrieked. A squeaking was heard, and then I heard her voice yell, "I'm in the shower, what the FUCK!?" I blinked.

"Um, thanks for telling me." I heard her groan. "Oh, fine. Go jack off to THAT, and let me shower in peace." I winced. Okay, rude. Great Rayquaza, this brat is such a pain in the ass sometimes.

"Actually, I can't. I need to ask you if you wanna go on a date?" I hear the water stop, and she calls, "I'm listening. Does this involve getting a kiss from me?" I swore mentally. Oh, she's good.

"Well, only if you think you've really forgiven me." I hear her grab a towel, and she opens the door. Breezing past me, she calls, "Fine, fine! Be ready in ten minutes!" I waited until she had gone in the spare room before squealing like a girl, and rushing out to Brendan's room to steal his clothes.

* * *

-_Lucy's POV- _

I was minding my own goddamn business, taking a fucking shower, when Harley just HAS to come and ruin it. I hate that man sometimes, I really do. And it was such a nice shower; Brendan keeps about fifty different hair products in his shower, bless him.

"LUCY! I NEED TO TALK TO YOU!!" He shrieked. I wince mentally. When did privacy come after his needs? When!? I called back, "I'm in the shower, what the FUCK!?" I heard him whine.

"Thanks for telling me." I hissed. Oh, for Deoxys' sake! I didn't ASK for him to come bug me while I WAS TRYING TO SHOWER!!! I am siccing Szeren on him in another five seconds, I really am. I hate that man. Yet I love him.

All this thinking is ruining my shower, so I yell back, "Oh, fine. Go jack off to THAT, and let me shower in peace." I stop. Okay, that might have been a bit cruel. But still. Trying to SHOWER.

But the universe had other plans. "Actually, I can't. I need to ask you if you wanna go on a date?" He asks me. Oh, romantic, Harley. Ask the girl on a date while she is IN THE FUCKING SHOWER. Asshole.

"I'm listening. Does this involve getting a kiss from me?" I know him so well, I really do. I wouldn't MIND kissing the little crossdresser, but still, my point is...

I'm not quite sure, but you get my point.

"Well, only if you think you've really forgiven me." He calls back. I think for a second. Well, that's good enough. And polite of him. Let's see what this brings, shall we? "Fine, fine! Be ready in ten minutes!"

I just KNOW I am going to hate myself later. But I don't care. I grab a towel, and walk outside, into the spare room Birch set up. He squeals, and rushes off. I roll my eyes, and shake my head to get rid of the water.

I wouldn't put it past him to take pictures and blackmail me later. I really wouldn't. Why? Because I KNOW him. Like my, I don't know... well, I do know, but I won't say it, because I would sound SO ghetto.

"_Brotha from anotha motha?" _Ichigo asks, sailing up to sit next to me. I groan mentally. Damn telepathic ducklike dragon things with tuft like ears and duck like feet. Damn them.

I groan, and shake my head.

"No, something else. Go play with Jet, Ichi. Mommy has to go get dress—" She reads my mind AGAIN, and rushes off, yelling, "_GUUYS! YOU'LL NEVER GUESS WHAT MOMMY AND HARLEY ARE DOING!!!!"_

Once again, for about the fifteenth time this week, I contemplate killing myself. I start to wonder what is wrong with me, but then I figure, with friends like these, anyone would want to kill themselves.

* * *

(Notes: 1: Like I said, RENT. Go look at my Quotes, and look at the RENT ones. You'll get it. Or, if you've seen the movie, Maureen/Joanne.) 


	36. The Muscial of Wonder and Joyness

(This is a musical chapter! Isn't it nice to have a crazy, muscial-obsessed authoress? BTW, someone who does this better would have to be Flameboo, who got to the idea before I even started writing. –sweatdrops- Loved FS. And musicals. Recognize the songs, you get a cookie, and whatever's in my handbag. Meaning enough shit to invade Bulgaria. Don't own anything, except my OC's, and my own songs and parodies thereof. And a pre-apology to the Emperor Kra, since you're religious, I believe? Yeah, make no seriousness of Wigglytuff's song.)

* * *

Wow, this is goddamn awkward.

Harley is standing in front of the door, in regular clothes, (second time in two weeks, I'm so proud), and he has a rose in his hands. He looks like he's going to freak out and run, but for the fact that Wigglytuff is standing there threateningly, holding a serrated butcher knife.

I decide to screw around with him. "Aww, whassamattah Harley? You don't _like me?"_ I sidle up to him, and pout cutely, putting my hands on his shoulders, and whispering the last part into his ear. He jumps a bit, and his eye twitches as he stammers out, "N-no, nuh-not, what, ah, I meant—" I roll my eyes.

"Would you relax? You act like I'm interrogating you, Harley." He sniffles, and I wince. Drama queen tears, here I come. Sure enough... "WAAAAAAAAH! I CAN'T DO THIS!!! I'M SO SORRY FOR WHAT I SAID!!!" He grips me, still wailing, _literally _starting a small ocean. The Idiot Islands.

I sigh. "Harley it's okay—" He still has the drama queen inside. "NO IT'S NOT! I DIDN'T _MEAN_ IT! WHY DON'T YOU LOVE ME!!??!" He sobs, clutching at his hair now, still hard at work flooding the world before global warming did.

Banette, of course, interrupts_. "Latias. Would you quit it!? When did she say that!?!" _He sighs. "_And don't you think you're overreacting?" _Harley ignores the puppet pokemon, and continues to cry like a five-year-old.

"_Anyways__, can't you two wait to pour out your entire souls to each other until you're on the DATE?!"_ Octillery wails, flopping his tentacles. I scream, "Hey, I'm not involved in this!" And it's true, it'd be more romantic if he waited, but he's not really intelligent enough to figure that out sometimes.

Wigglytuff finally holds up the knife, and shrees, "_GO! BEFORE THIS IS IN YOUR STOMACH!_!" I shove Harley out the door, and shut it just before a knife thuds into the door. I sigh in relief, and ask him, "Right, so where are we going?" His eyes widen. I sigh.

"You have no idea." "Yeah." I roll my eyes. Dragging him along, I storm away from the lab, and into the woods. He looks around at the trees, and the pokemon strutting along like windup dolls. The grass is soft and green here, and the trees seem almost ancient with moss and leaves. Raising an eyebrow as an Oddish bites the leg of his pants, he asks, "WHY are we here?" I snorted.

"You got a better place to be?" He looks at me, currently being mobbed by the friendly pokemon, and then at the Oddish STILL biting his leg, and sighs. "Easy for you to say, Snow white." He grumbles. I giggle, as the Oddish works up from his leg to his arm. I didn't even know Oddish had TEETH...

I sit down, and beckon to him. The Oddish is shaken off, and walks off dejectedly to go get drunk with a bunch of Spinda and Vita. I sigh, and lean against the tree. "It's so nice to be here..." I twitch my nose, as a leaf falls on it.

I blow air up onto my nose, and watch the leaf fly lazily down below onto the soft, padded, springy moss. I snicker as Harley slips down the tree trunk, and winces in pain as the skin gets shredded. I kiss his forehead, and snort as his eyes practically fly out of their sockets.

He shakes his head like an Arcanine, as if to say, '_Whatever, dollface.'_ He turns to me, and absentmindedly plays with my hair. I smile, feeling lazy and content. Harley's playing with my hair, the Taillow are at peace, and the crazy Oddish crew is getting drunk somewhere. All is right with the world. Until...

"_We're the Wonder Pokemon! Or something!" _

I sit up. "Oh, shit!" I wail. "Of all the _times!?" _Harley looks on in annoyance as Uxie, Mesprit, and Azelf all materialize in front of us. Annoying little fourth-gen weirdos. Why won't they stay in Sinnoh?!

Of course, the psi pokemon read my mind. "_Because we LOVE you, Lucy!" _I groan inwardly. That's what I need, honestly... Mesprit bobbles up and down, chirping like a crappy parody of Mew. (–_coughcough- totally_ is_ –coughcough-)_

"_Yes, you do, you lovesick foolish human! We're here to give you a message from the Dogs, Ho-oh, and Lugia. You and the others are needed in Johto. And stuff. Why? Because. They have Contests there, so quit bitching, aye?" _Mesprit finishes.

"_And guess what?!" _Azelf chirps happily, eye twitching. I am instantly reminded of Erose. "_We get to go with you!" _Harley yanks me up by the hair as he sits up, but it doesn't hurt, since I've already shot up in terror. "_Isn't that GREAT?!" _Uxie claps his hands happily. I suddenly wonder if I can go get drunk with that Oddish.

Harley giggles in laughter, until I turn to him. "A-HEM, bitch. Remember; you have to come with me now." I let this sink in, until he gets it, and begins to scream like a lunatic. Mesprit huffs, and whacks him over the head with a jewel-studded tail. The other two snigger at their sister's antics. Oh, what a fun trip to Johto this will be, I can tell. I do the only sensible thing I can do right now; break out into song.

"_Tried to make me go to Johto, I said no, no, no..._

_Yes, I need to go, but I want—no, no, no!_

_I don't got the time—_

_And if Crystal can make it fine—_

_Tried to make me go to Johto, and I said, no, no, no!!" _I caterwauled at the top of my lungs. Wigglytuff managed to somehow hear this, and roared something crazy about Amy Winehouse to the rest of the household, before rushing off.

Banette looked at Erose. "_You think we'll get our own songs?" _He asked the grass dino. Erose shrugged. Don't ask how. I know they don't have shoulders. But Oddish don't have teeth, yet one bit Harley. So shut up before the universe a-splodes from lack of logic.

"_Anyway, I hope so. I already got one! They're coming to take me away, ha-ha, they're coming to take me away ho-ho, hee-hee, ha-ha, to the funny farm, with trees and flowers and chirping birds, AND BASKET WEAVERS WHO SIT AND SMILE, THEY'RE COMING TO TAKE ME AWAY, HA-HA!" _The crazy Bulbasaur raves as he weaves drunkenly around a bunch of other horrified pokemon.

Back to the clearing, I was still rambling on about not wanting to go to Johto, until Wigglytuff burst on to the scene. "_AMY!?! AMY?!" _He roared, swinging his head around wildly, searching for his hero. I sweatdrop. "Uh, no, Wigglytuff. It's just me." He stares for a minute. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, a spotlight poofs onto him. I groan. "Not you too..."

He gets a wistful look on his face, and begins to sing. "_I know, I know, I know... to some, I may just be a homicidal pink rabbit... thing..." _He croons into a microphone that appeared out of nowhere. Why, oh why must I live my life like this? He ignores me, and continues.

"_But I, but I, have feeeeelllllliiinggs...Yes, feeeeelllliiinggs... And I just want to say... Oh, Amy, Amy, why don't you love meeeeee?" _I know EXACTLY where this is going. Straight after Barry Manilow.

"SING SOMETHING ELSE!" I roar. He growls at me, and flips his haircurl. Breaking the other microphone, he takes on the growl of someone like Dio.

"_Fine! ...Bring me the head! Bring me the head, better make sure he's dead, of the preacher man! I don't want sin, I don't wanna admit god didn't create man, bring me the head of the preacher man!" _I rolled my eyes, but I had to admit it was catchy.

"_I don't wanna admit, Dragonair's not a Satanic Serpentine, (1), I don't wanna admit, there may not be anything left that's divine, bring me the head of the PREACHER! MAN! Altar boys are my whores, I rant about days of yore, I'm a Preacher Man! My god's a dead man on a stick, my followers aren't forced to think, bring me the head of... the... PREACHER MAN!" _

He finishes, and grins at us. Harley sighs. "Okay, we're going to get flamed for these two reasons; one, Christians are going to HATE US now. Two, that had nothing to do with the plot." Wigglytuff swelled up, and glared at Harley. "_Pah! Let them! I say to you, good sir, GOD IS DEAD!" _I sigh. Harley shakes his head, but I see him smiling. And then THEY interrupt.

"_Hey! We want a song too!" _Uxie pipes up. The other two nod. "_Yeah!" _And so it begins. "_We're the Wonder Pokemon, come to save the day! From bad guys with blue hair, rabid unicorns, giant lions, come whatever may! We're the Wonder Pokemon! Fight for what is right, working—" "FOR A BLOODY GODDAMN CLAMPDOWN, BITCHES!!" _Mesprit screamed, much to the displeasure of Uxie.

"_Anyway! We clash, and bash! Our enemieeesss! Rah rah rah! We bring the pain! Without any shame, or care for ratings! Kid shows may be our premise, but they'll be your DEMISE. No lie. ...bitches." _The two male pokemon of the trio finish. I roll my eyes, and yank Harley away. "Come on, let's go home. Maybe it won't be like this here."

Oh, how wrong I was. And Harley wasn't helping. As soon as he got back, he rushed upstairs, and I didn't see him for a few minutes, thankfully, because I now had to deal with the others in a musical mood.

"_He's the reason for the teardrops on my—" _May began, but I slapped her over the head. "IF I HAVE TO HEAR THAT SONG _ONE MORE TIME, _THAT'S IT, I'M KILLING EVERYONE!" I roared. "DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY CONTESTSHIPPING AMVS I HAVE SEEN WITH THAT SONG?!! DO YOU?!" May sweatdropped.

Drew rolled his eyes, and then HE started to sing. "_I'm too sexy for my shirt, so sexy it huuurrrttss..." _I rolled my eyes, and slapped him too. "Shut up, Grass Ass." I growled angrily. He groaned, and bitched, but then... Harley stopped us all in our tracks.

A pink corset glittered over a fishnet top. SHORT-shorts, so short they practically constituted as a thong, clutched his, (well-formed, I had to note), ass. Fishnet tights raced up his legs, along with a pair of stiletto boots that were fire-engine red. Glittering gloves, a ton of makeup, and a feather boa completed this outfit.

Drew whipped out his own camera, and snapped picture after picture, yelling about blackmail. May and Brendan applauded. And me? I wanted to kill myself, and then him. As a dead ghost or something. "_My Gaydar is fuckin' beeping off the goddamn charts." _Vita muttered. I sighed. Really? Mine had a-sploded, been burnt to cinders, and got brought back to life, only to die again from this man's sheer Queer Power. (TM)

And he opened his mouth to sing. And in a horrible flash, I knew what it would be. "_Don't get strung out! By the way I look! Don't judge a book by it's cover! I'm not much of a man by day, but by night, I'm one hell of a luuu-vaaaah..." _He kept singing, and I mouthed the words in horror. "_I'm just a Sweet Transvestite, from...TRANSSEXUAL, TRANSYLVANIA!" _That did it. I screamed.

"What is WRONG with all of you?! IF THIS IS WHAT JOHTO DOES TO PEOPLE, I'M NOT GOING!!!" I roared angrily, and stared at Harley. He thrust his hip out to one side, and cocked an eyebrow. "You don't think I'm sexy?" He pouted. I turned to glare at him.

"I do. But that is NOT the point. The point is, how the FUCK do you know that song?!" I asked him. He shrugged, as the others cracked up at this insanity. That was now videotaped.

"It's on your Ipod."

And all of a sudden, I began to hate modern techonology.

Very much.

* * *

(1: Yeah, crazy Christians out there that hate pokemon because they represent Satan. No, I'm serious. Go Google this site, crossroads.to, and it'll be the craziest shit you've ever seen. I guarantee. BTW, sorry Kra. I know you're religious or something, but I do not like these people.) 


	37. Tyranitar Trouble, musicals, and stuff

(I rewrote this after it got deleted, so I'm sorry if it sounds rushed. Yes, poor Sachiko. Explanation at the end. She was just an amateur at the time... anyways, yes, made fun of Jamie Lynn Spears. This idiot goes on about 'teenage chastity', all the while screwing her boyfriend. Republican hypocrisy; the only moral teen sex is my sex. Anyways, in other news, GO READ THE DISASTER MORPH. Please? I want feedback... -pouts-

Or something. Argh. More songs. And has anyone noticed this entire fic is named after an Ozzy Osbourne song? NO? Really? Don't mind me, don't own. BTW, I'm working on a few oneshots, one involving the Wonder Pokemon, so no chapter updates for anything for a bit.)

* * *

After we got Harley dressed, (read: Wigglytuff threatened him to put on clothes that were not whorish), we got a phone call.

I picked it up, and asked, "Hello?" The phone buzzed, "_Hi Lucy! It's me! How are you?" _I almost dropped the phone in surprise. "Crash!?" I squawked. She laughed. "_Yeah. What's up? You guys left the Grand Festival, and never said anything. Mom said you ditched us." _

I detected a note of hurt in her voice. I felt bad for her; after all, her older brother had left ages ago, and she hadn't seen us 'till the Festival, and after THAT, we ditched here THERE, too.

Guiltily, I replied, "Um. We got called away on, like, League business." That did the trick. "_HEY! FARIS! MY BROTHER'S MORE SPECIAL THAN YOU!" _I'm sure Harley was thrilled to know.

Speaking of Harley, he flounced in, and announced, "It's Crash on the phone!" To no one in particular, snatched the phone away from me, and rasped, "Hey sweetie! How _are _you... has he been _polite, _young lady?"

She roared, "_HE'S PERFECTLY POLITE! WE'VE ONLY KISSED ONCE!" _That, out of anything she could have said, was maybe the third-worst thing she could have told her overprotective big brother.

"EX-FUCKING-SCUSE ME!?" He caterwauled into the phone. I sighed, and decided to go upstairs to pack a bag for the both of us to head to Johto. Think of it this way, Harley; it was either you or Jamie Lynn Spears. Guess who she picked.

But he decided to sing, and I winced as I heard the lyrics. _"Sister, my sister, what are you doing this for? You should not love one, another, since you're, like, ten! Sister, my sister, tell me how this fling began; will the insanity never end? Sister, my sister, what are you doing this for? Oh, can't we just pretend, this boy never ever came? Sister, my sister, you should not love one, another, since you're, like, ten!" _

I rolled my eyes as I heard both Crash and Faris scream in phonespeak at him. I sighed, and checked the bags. Packed. So I could go avert the crisis. Whee.

"Harley, shut up and give me that!" I roared, and grabbed the phone.

"_ANYway, we called to tell you we're going to the Battle Frontier. Carla wants to try her luck, and we can do Kanto Contests! Where are you going?" _I sighed.

Well, I could tell her, but there was the whole, "Psycho Wonder Pokemon asked us to do it, so..." I simply said, "Johto." She gasped. "_Cool. No one's been there for like, seven years. No one comes out alive!" _I rolled my eyes.

Blame Gamefreak.

"Anyway, do you want to meet us at the Harbor to say goodbye?" I asked her. She breathed a sigh of relief. "_Okay, yes! We're leaving too. So we'll see you there. Restrain Harley, else he'll probably kill Faris." _

"True, that." I muttered, and hung up. I heard a sound like clothes being pulled out of an arranged state that took me a whole SONG to do. "HARLEY!" I roared, storming upstairs. He held my favorite shirt in the air; the one with Chococat on it.

"Dollface, dollface," He chided me. "Look, we both know that it will look better on me, so I'll give it back... later. After I wear it. Mine." My eye twitched. That was the ONE thing the Universe decreed someone never, ever, ever, ever, EVER, EVER, EVER say to a girl.

Especially if you've already pissed her off once for the day. I had had it. "Argh! GOJIRA!" I roared, reaching for the Tyranitar's pokeball. "KILL!" I screamed with all of my energy, and threw the pokeball.

Harley screamed like a lunatic, and rushed out. The Sand Dragon materialized, and destroyed the doorway in a quest for Harley. I giggled. "Die, bitch."

However, Gojira soon got bored, and tromped over to Oldale to destroy people, of which there was not many. Still, he got a roaring destructive force going.

As I went down to gather the others, I heard the news bleating about someone's maniac Tyranitar. Wonder who's it was?

"_In other news, a solitary Tyranitar has slaughtered the entire town of Oldale, but since it really had nothing going for it, no one really cares. We need more news. Anyways, about one hundred dead, and over fifty thousand square miles destroyed. Ha, losers. Anyways... ehem. We are very sorry for this awful tragedy. The Tyranitar was not found." _

I sighed. Looking out the window, I noted Gojira happily sitting in the backyard, munching on a human leg. "That's a bad Gojira." I scolded halfheartedly. He growled cheerfully, and proceeded to finish the leg...

That was apparently attached to another human being. Who screamed for a minute, before being finished off.

So it goes.

"Funny," Harley remarked, apparently ignorant of the chaos meant for him, "He destroyed an entire small town, killed about a hundred people, and is now eating a human being, yet no one cares. We don't even get jail time. Funny, that."

I shrugged. "It's the Wigglytuff Factor. Look at all the people HE killed." Harley nodded his head sagely. "Anyways, we have to go. Where are May and Drew?" In their own bubble of happiness, made from the endless Contestshipping stories! YAY!

I halfheartedly kicked the bubble, and let them sit in the real world, where IC-ness reigned, and people, you know, died. Or broke up.

Sachiko was sitting on the porch, counting money. "_I think I'm staying here." _She announced happily. "_I just made fifty thousand Poke-pounds off these loons. No one knows how to play poker!" _I sighed.

"Are you sure? I don't want to turn into Ash Ketchum, ditching his pokemon at every turn." She nodded. "_Uh-huh. And remember what happened when I was in Johto?" _I shivered. Did I ever. (1)

"Alright. But call. And keep Gojira in check." She saluted me with a paw. "_Will do, Sarge. Now piss off and have fun." _Brendan raced up to us, and hugged May. "ByesweetieI'mgonnamissyoucall!" (Translation: Bye sweetie, I'm going to miss you, call.)

May nodded, and hugged him back. But... but... I thought the only male in her life was Drew! (Seriously, come on here. Logic. PLEASE.)

I sighed, as we started off. "_Call or I'll kill you!" _Vita wailed, bottle of gin in her hand/paw. I sighed. "Yeah, yeah." As we set off into the sunset backdrop, I felt a bit of cliché-Ash-ditches-girl-and-pokemon-including-his-shiny-Noctowl-and-runs-off-again feeling coming on.

All we needed was the narrator's cheesy voice.

So I sang, something HE never did.

"_Off we go, to wild Johto yonder! Getting drunk, and singing crappy songs! Johto here we come! The Legendary Dogs have gone, the Clear Bell has sung, Rockets on the run, Johto here we come! Contests to lose, at least if you're Harley!" _A rousing chorus of "Fuck you, Lucy!" was added to this mix.

_Squirtle will continue to be a neurotic son-of-a-bitch! Erose's eye will twitch! Rockets better watch out, the psycho bitch has come out! Johto here we come! It's been seven long years, lots of pestering Gamefreak, and lots of tears, but Johto here we come!" _

May and Drew obviously wanted in, and broke in with this, "_Contests to win, trouble we'll get in, Johto here we come! Idiot Legends, round the bend! Lucy losing her mind and head! Harley getting his win in the end, Johto here we come!" _

"Why thank you, guys... unlike SOMEONE whose name begins with L, YOU'RE NICE!" Ever the drama queen, Harley was not content with someone else getting the attention. "_Contests to WIN, take that, Lucy! Guys and girls alike to snog, Lucy's being a blood effin' Fic-Hog, my girl with which to be crass!" _I rolled my eyes. "In your dreams!" He turned to me.

"Nuh-uh. In my _bed._" He grinned, and groaned happily, all the while laughing at me. I screamed, and tackled him, much to the amusement of Cacturne and Roselia, both watching with an air of superiority.

Anyone who thinks pokemon are lesser beings, look at the calm, serene pokemon to your right, not fighting. Then look at the two humans, one trying to castrate the other.

What's wrong with this picture?

May sighed, and finished the song. "_Idiots in love, help us great Mew of above, these lunatics have gone to Johto! With Contests a faint glimmer in memory, as they rip at each others throats! All the while, the Legends wonder what sort of ally they've got! Johto here we come!" _

Drew groaned. "_Johto here we come." _He turned back to us. "And if the two of you don't behave, I am throwing you two _personally _off the ship. Come on." I pouted, kicked Harley once more, and set off.

We did manage to keep a good chant of 'Johto here we come!' going until we reached the ferries. It was then which Harley decided that he was going to scream, "Stay the fuck away from my sister!" At Faris for a good five minutes, ranting and raving.

As Crash and Harley argued, you'd think maybe, just_ maybe_, one of their pokemon would step in to help. But a certain Franklyn Metro Gerard Charles Xavier Baudelaire the fifteenth, Esquire, had another idea.

"_WHEEE! I IS A MOO COW! ATTACK, MY SOCCER BALL POSSE!" _The Spheal roared, spinning around in circles around his trainer. Erose watched this with interest. "_I do think I like you." _He noted happily.

As Harley and Crash argued, I chatted up Carla-Faye, and May and Drew tried to break up the two arguing. Faris was currently being yanked between Harley and Crash, a pained expression on his face.

I honestly would have not cared, but for the fact that both ships were honking with great pomp and circumstance, pulling away from the dock. "HEY! WE'RE GONNA MISS THE SHIP!" I wailed.

Yeah, _NOW_ they spring into action.

Harley gets us all on Szeren, Carla-Faye and her group on her Swellow, and as they soar off, Crash, just to spite Harley, kisses Faris.

"GODDAMN YOU, STAY AWAY FROM MY SISTER...!" Harley roars, as we speed off in the opposite direction. I roll my eyes. As Szeren banks down, I notice that, thankfully, the dock is empty.

"Goody. Have fun, I'm off to find food." I speed off, and rushed away in search of FOOD. Not cookies, good they may be. Actual food, which was rare. Harley was squicked about killing rabbits, and I was not carrying around raw meat.

So, after fifteen minutes of peace, quiet, and shoveling food in my mouth at a breakneck pace, Harley finally caught up with me. "LUCY!" He screamed, grabbing me by the back of my shirt. "I need you!"

He drags me outside, and I yelp, "What?! I was eating! You better have an explanation—" He hugs me, so tight I can barely breathe, and grins. I readily melt into the hug, smiling as well.

"I did need you." He mutters. I began to laugh. I smiled at him. "Harley, I guess... I forgi—" Ooh, so close.

I could've said, "I forgive you, I love you," But who should interrupt with...

"_We're the Wonder pokemon! Or something!" _

I honestly think Harley is going to kill them. I really do. His eye twitches, as Mesprit salutes me. "_Goody, you're here! Alright! The Dogs will be waiting!" _I raise an eyebrow. "Anything else?"

Uxie shakes his head. "_No, that's it. We're off to go kill those foolish Earth animals that stole OUR team name! Bye!" _They poofed off to somewhere. I didn't want to ask where.

Just then, Cacturne poked Harley on the shoulder. "_Harley, we—" "_EYAAAAAAGH!"" Harley roared, jumping a foot in the air. Cacturne sweatdropped.

"_I was going to say we were going to explore the ship, but I see you're not up for it." _He rolled his eyes. I smiled.

"Don't worry, we'll continue this later." I promised him. His eyes lit up with hope. "In bed?" He grinned.

In response, both Cacturne and I slapped him.

* * *

(Okay! Quick note; Sachiko's joke is a long story. Look, mostly, I took her into Johto. I was a decent player at the slots, won an Eevee once or twice. But then whenever she was in my party, I lost almost all my money. So she's not going. XD) 


	38. Arriving in Johto! Silver's appearance!

(Butterfree attacks is a complete inside joke. Basically, no one suspects the Butterfree. Nooo, it's always the SPEAROW. Why does everyone hate on the Spearow? More musical-ness later, but for now, I needed to get this out. AND, with the new arrival of Johto, I have... I have...

TRIED TO STOP CURSING LESS. OMFG. This'll last for, you know, a chapter. Anyways, don't own and stuff. Damned One out.

P.S. For Galbinus, Silver, who'll soon become a regular around here. For myself and my fangirl needs, Robert. )

* * *

This is always how it goes, isn't it? 

I get a break, hopefully a nice cruise on a ship, and then the Wonder Pokemon just ruin my moment.

Ah well. At least the ship is pretty. I grudgingly had explored, before being overcome with the urge to sleep, and crashed in one of the beds. When I open my eyes again, the ship is bleating it's announcement; we're in Johto. I groaned.

"Goddamn, you could sleep through World War III." Harley remarked, beckoning to me. I groaned. "We tried everything, dollface. Drew even did a rendition of 'Singin' in the rain'. But no luck." He sighed dramatically, and grabbed my hand.

"Shall we go?" I nodded. He yanked on my hand, and we were soon finding ourselves in Olivine. I gazed at it, amazed. I hadn't seen this place since I was eight. I smiled, and listened to the hush-shush sounds of the water, before finding myself dragged off again.

"Harley! Could we stay in one place for MORE than five minutes?" I yowled. He shrugged. "'Kay, later." I growled angrily. Drew snapped his fingers, bringing attention to the map and himself. "Okay, guys. First Contest's in Ecruteak City. We should start heading out; we have a couple routes to go through." I nodded.

"And the Burnt Tower. We might as well see what the Dogs and the Birds want. After all, they dragged us here." I grumped. May nodded. "I guess... let's go!" So we set off on our magical adventure of wonder and joyness.

_

* * *

Twenty minutes later..._

"GAH! WEEDLE!" Harley squealed, as about a thousand Bug Pokemon attacked us. Butterfree, mostly, with a bit of Beedrill and Weedle. Butterfree are actually very vicious pokemon, apparently.

"Szeren! Fire Blast!" I begged. The Charizard snorted in laughter at her human's predicament, and obeyed, spewing flames onto the bugs. I stared at their charred corpses. "I feel guilty for killing them." I remarked offhandedly.

"They deserved it." Harley growled. "Jackass Butterfree." I sighed. "But we did invade their territory..." Harley swung his head towards me, eye twitching. I knew exactly where this would head; yet another temper tantrum.

"But we didn't mean to! And so I stepped on ONE Weedle, you'd think it wouldn't matter!" I processed this. So... "It's YOUR fault." I hissed. Both May and Drew heard this, and turned back. Cacturne sighed.

"Release the hounds." I hissed. Everyone just stared at me. "Oh, fuck it. Bleak, Zero, kill." I remarked offhandedly. Ace was over in the corner, happily munching a Butterfree. Erose was taking a stick in his vines, and poking the corpses, laughing.

Welcome to Johto.

I got on Ace, and decided to fly ahead. I left Szeren behind to see if the idiots would get I'd gone and give chase, though I doubted it. Sure enough, about two minutes later, I had peace. And quiet. Haha, losers. As I looked up at the sky, suddenly, I knew we were going to have to split apart.

We were all Coordinators. We were going to lose Contests to one another, I was sure of it. And Harley had proved he could handle that so _well _already. I didn't want to, but I had a sinking feeling we were going to have to meet up later.

But for now, I figured we could stick together until that time came.

I sighed, and relayed my feelings to Ace. She shrugged. "_I don't know. It might be strained, but perhaps it's for the best if May and Drew have their own adventure. Because you are a bit of a Fic-hog." _I rolled my eyes, and groaned.

"Thanks. Really appreciate that." She growled happily. I sat back, and enjoyed being alone and flying on a Salamence, when—

_**

* * *

WHACK.**_

I had just flown smack into the Burnt Tower. I cursed myself mentally for my stupidity, and yelled something bad in Japanese that I can't repeat because the authoress is trying to cut back on her cursing.

I sighed, and ordered Ace to fly down. Of course, Harley and the others had already MADE it to Ecruteak. "Jeez, Lucy. You look like you've just flown into the Burnt Tower. Are you alright?" He grinned at me. My eye twitched.

"You sonofabitch!" I wailed, and tackled him. Zero stared at the two of us, and woofed, "_You're supposed to fight over mates, not between." _I growled at him, and yanked Harley up. Grabbing him by the ear, I dragged him into the Burnt Tower, ignoring his vehement caterwauls of protest.

"HEY!" I roared. "I'm here for the Dogs!" All was silent. Then, like clockwork, the floor swallowed me up. "Godamnit!" I screamed, feeling my back connect with the floor. Great acquaintances they were becoming, too.

"Wow. It's dark." Someone remarked, and judging from the voice and inerrant stupidity both, I deduced it was Harley. And another; "Well, obviously." Drew. And there we go, with May the peacemaker.

"Would you two PLEASE?" She hissed. It was too late. The boys were at each other's throats, if crashing and the sounds of bitch-slapping were enough of a dead giveaway. I rolled my eyes.

And then, they came. In all their glory. The Birds of Sun and Sky, and the Beasts of Wind, Lightning, and Fire. They stared at all of us, waiting for us to make the first move.

And, of course, Wigglytuff killed the moment.

"_Wow. Lucy said you'd look like dogs, but you, blue-thing, look like a wolf. And that weird hairy brown thing, you look like a lion/dog thing. And the banana-colored thing looks like a tiger." _Keep in mind these were the Legends he should revere.

The flying pokemon bowed before Suicune. "_Goddess." _They acknowledged. Szeren and Zero stood reverently before Entei. Not the one from before. A different one, with a quiet power that kept my flames in check.

"_At ease." _They growled. Suicune glared at Wigglytuff. "_For the record, we KNOW. But Legendary Animals sounds... less catchy." _Wigglytuff shrugged.

"_The Beasts?" _He offered, twitching an ear. Suicune looked at the others, and shrugged. "_A bit general, but it'll do." _Wigglytuff cheered. I sighed, and stared at the lot of them.

"Right. What do you want?" I asked. They all glanced at each other. Raikou spoke. "_Team Rocket's back." _I rolled my eyes. I did not believe this.

"So you dragged my ass to Johto for a bunch of people that you, being Legendaries, should have been able to OBLITERATE?!" I screamed. Oh, Mew was SO DEAD. They shrunk back in horror.

"_Arceus-Tamer, it is more than that. He, Giovanni, I mean... we've heard reports of him from our spies. The Murkrow have reported he speaks quite often about you." _Suicune looked uncomfortable.

"_So we wanted you here, in case he tries to go after you. We figured that he might try to awaken us again, and set us loose. And reports say that he has been mounting something of a revolution. A takeover of Johto." _I stopped. This actually sounded serious.

"So. You brought me here, where HE IS TRYING TO KILL ME, and all for..." I trailed off, hoping they better finish this sentence. They did, but I didn't like it.

"_We need you to save Johto." _Agh! I didn't even wanna GO here, but now I have to SAVE IT?! "_Or, to put it in terms you'll like better, kill Team Rocket." _I sighed. Well, THAT did sound fun.

"Can I do Contests still?" They all looked at each other. Ho-oh flapped her wings.

"_Yes... yes, that does make sense. Don't let him know you're on to him. And be careful. Act like nothing's wrong, but if he chooses to attack, you'd better be ready." _She said gravely. I winced. "Great. Can I go now?"

She sighed. "_Yes. The... Won... the..." _Of course, THEY were HERE. "_Say it!" _They chorused angrily, as they poofed into what had once been a solemn council. Ho-oh glowered at them. "_The Wonder Pokemon." _She growled

"_Or something." _Uxie finished. Lugia rolled his eyes. "_Yes. Or something. WHY you choose to call yourselves that, I cannot fathom." _He hissed.

Mesprit glowered at him. "_No one asked you, birdbrain!" _Lugia, enraged, pulled his head back to attack the little fairy-pink-thing, but I ran interference.

This Contest was tomorrow, and I was DAMNED before I was denied sleep.

"Look, if we can all just get along for another five minutes, I can get out of here, you can go back to sleep, and someone can kill the Wonder Pokemon."

"_HEY!" _They wailed. I rolled my eyes. "So?" I mean, it wasn't like they were getting their own spin-off fic or anything.

Ahem.

Suicune rumbled. "_We're counting on you." _I rolled my eyes. "Isn't that nice." She growled, from amusement or annoyance I could not tell. She roared, and just like that—

We were about five feet above the Burnt Tower.

"HOLY SH—" I wailed, but thankfully, I got a nice little orange dragon to get us all away from impending death. And then Suicune's voice;

"_Sorry. Forgot the last few floors weren't there."_

I seriously worried about whomsoever worshipped these idiots.

As we brushed ourselves off, grumbling about hair, clothes, or nails, (or in Harley's case, all three and more), I saw a flaming shock of red hair attached to a kid rush up to us. "You okay? I've never seen anyone in the Burnt Tower for ages!" He rushed. I gasped, recognizing him from my Crystal game.

"Holy freakin' crap, you're Silver!" I blurted out. He raised an eyebrow. "_Hello_. I don't believe we've met." I sized him up. So. I could get away with this. He was about fifteen. I loved lying.

"My name's Lucida Saxon. Blackthorn. My mother's in the Dragon's Den clan; they speak highly of you and Crystal there." I told him. I had always loved that place. He was intelligent, though.

"Where's your Dratini, then?" I swore mentally. Oh, he was_ good_. I gestured to Szeren. "Her. I wanted a Charmander, and there were no Dratinis to be had. I came of age late." I explained. I cheered myself mentally. I was SO awesome.

He nodded. "I see. You..." He sized me up. "You seem familiar..." I bit my tongue. "_Of course I do." _I thought. "_I'm your rival." _But I said nothing.

"Maybe. Be seeing you?" He nodded. "Seeing you soon, strange girl." He nodded brusquely, and headed off. I breathed a sigh of relief, until Harley squealed, immediately making me wince.

"Another Butterfree attack?" I wondered.

"ROBERT!! OHMYGOSH!" I winced again. That was worse.

This is Lucy Saxon, reporting to you live from the asylum known as Johto.

And it's about to get worse. Much, much worse.


	39. WigglyTodd of Fleet Street

(I updated! Love me. Okay, so I'm back to Contests, natch. Anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter... more Silver and TR in the next one... Oh, and a Breeding Center. Any pokemon any of you would like to see specifically, or...?

And I am _TAKING REQUESTS FOR OC'S_

Have one? Send them in. Give me specifics; pokemon, (shinies are fine, but no Legends), nicknames, and whether or not you're a Trainer/Coordinator. Looks and stuff, too. Any info, really. Okay? Good. Don't own.)

"ROBERT!" Harley squealed again, hugging the British Coordinator. I giggled. I loved Robert, but he just... well, Austin Powers, much?

"Yes," Robert groaned, muffled by Harley's chest, "_Robert_. I'd be thrilled to see you too, Harley; if you'd get off my face." Harley sadly stopped hugging Robert.

Drew looked like he wanted to kill someone, probably Robert. May had starry eyes, and was gazing at Robert with utter adoration.

I played with Robert's 'Lotic for awhile, as they all fawned over each other. I wasn't interested in conversation; frankly, I wanted to make it to this Contest.

As if he was reading my mind, Robert gestured to the Contest Hall gracefully. "We should be going..." I shot ahead before anyone else, and smacked into the door. I snorted with laughter, and shook my head.

"Um." Robert just sighed. Opening the door, I was greeted with the Contest Hall. Apparently, I was famous around here; winning the Festival and all. I shrugged past a bunch of fanboys, and applied for a Johto Pass, as did the others.

The rules, apparently, were the same as Kanto; switch pokemon between rounds, if you wish. I was thrilled. This made it so much easier.

But my preparations were interrupted by reporters, shoving cameras and mikes into my face. I stumbled over what the HELL just to say, but thankfully, I was saved by my overprotective cross-dressing little boy-toy.

"MINE!" Harley roared, dragging me off to the preparations. I sighed, as a bunch of cameras flashed. "_I guess __that__ choice has been made." _I thought, annoyed. I sized up a few Coordinators; no one who looked particularly threatening, but then again, I was this weird kid with a giant Charizard.

There you go, I guess. Moving on, I decided to instead use Bleak for Battle Appeals, Zero for Visual. His fur gleamed with strength, probably because he was caught in this very place. I had always prided myself on his capture, and actually fought with him first, right in this town.

I smiled, and ran my hand over his flank, before recalling him. My mind was already buzzing with thoughts of Johto. I wanted to find a breeding center.

Why? Because, merely, I had never seen one. I wanted to see these 'magnificent' things for myself. And I wanted an Eevee. I didn't want a plain little wimpy fox-thing; I wanted a beautiful and graceful Eevee evolution.

Why didn't I use Dresden, my shiny Umbreon, or any other of my illustrious Eevee evolutions?

Simple. I wanted to raise this one in this world, for real. Having to forge a bond with them that was different than stuffing them with vitamins to make them evolve, or just playing on a dimly lit screen. No, that was not what I wanted.

But it all depended on the pokemon that just 'clicked' with me. For all I knew, that could mean I'd get a Snubbull.

I made a note to check if there were any Centers in Goldenrod. I was formulating a plan, when the TV flickered on, and I heard the Contest begin. I shoved my hands in my pockets, and leaned against the wall to better observe the Coordinators.

One girl, armed with a Muk, caught my eye. A rather unorthodox Pokemon to use, she still strode out there confidently. I smirked, and watched. "Maladox!" She called his name, and ordered, "Acid Armor, then Surf!" My eyes shot open.

WHAT?! SURF!? I knew of Surfing Pikachu, but this was RIDICULOUS.

But Surf he did. First, he liquefied himself. Then this purple gelatinous wave swarmed up, and crashed down. I gaped. "Duuuhh..." Apparently, the judges were astounded. The squinty-eyed guy, (WHY WAS HE HERE?!?!) didn't even say, "Remarkable!" She smirked, and recalled Maladox.

"...And... that was Maureen Jameson!" The MC boomed. "Surfing..." Harley finished my sentence. "Muk."

I sighed. "Crap, crap, crap!" Harley giggled at my face, and shook his head lightly. "So, I guess I'm going to win this?" I glared at him.

"Fat chance." He contemplated something for a second. "Fine. A bet. If I win this first Ribbon, you have to..." He thought. "Grant me a wish. And vice versa. You in?" I nodded.

"Okay." We shook on it, and then they called his name. He looked sadly back at me for an instant, and then disappeared with Cacturne by his side. I sighed, and sat down. We'd never quite patched things up after the Grand Festival.

It was something that had lain, unspoken and deadly, under the fabric of our...

What could you call it? Our _relationship? _No, that wasn't right. Not close enough to describing it. Our friendship? Uh-uh. What I felt for him was stronger than that, but...

He was an enigma now. An enigma wrapped in a riddle, wrapped in chocolate, and filled with cream.

And now I was hungry.

I swore to myself I would talk to him. I wanted to really talk to him, and not just yell at each other, or pretend everything was okay. I finally remembered he was Appealing, and looked up. Cacturne had done the Cotton-Needle trick, (the one where he shish-kebab-ed every fluffball), and I had missed it.

I had promised myself I wouldn't swear. But it was so, so, SO, tempting...

I grumbled angrily as the others Appealed. Robert dazzled everyone with Milotic. And I mean, that thing was GORGEOUS. Shiny and stuff, especially after the Water Sport she performed.

Drew performed Petal Dance with Roselia. Noting the petals left on the floor, I prayed my turn was next. I had an idea...

It was, thankfully. I decided to summon Zero right there. Wagging his tail, as I whispered in his ear, "_How 'bout we give 'em a surprise, 'Ro?" _He nodded, growling happily.

"_Contest number 33, Lucida Sax—" _I rode out on Zero, standing up like I'd been riding Arcanines my whole life.

Everyone gasped. And why not? Harley gaped to the point I thought he would draw flies. I looked down at Zero. "Let's start with Ember!" Everyone raised an eyebrow at this weak Fire attack.

But Zero simply incinerated the rose petals. Everyone gasped at the beautiful flaming rose petals. I noted with satisfaction that they didn't burn too badly; the roses were almost sheathed in fire, rather than consumed by it.

Swinging my head around to stare at the cheering audience, I called, "Extremespeed!" And so Zero raced through the petals, drawing up wind, so they swept in circles around us.

The crowd roared its approval. But I wasn't done. In an incredibly stupid move, I backflipped off Zero. He jumped over me, and landed _just _close enough for me to land on his back.

I smirked in Harley's direction, as the audience gave me a standing ovation.

That's me; the Master Coordinator with a Bulbasaur.

I walked back to the small waiting room, and sat down. Robert sat down next to me, and smiled. "I see the title you took was no fluke." I nodded. He looked like he wanted to say something more, but I stopped him.

"I don't want to talk about it, Robert." He nodded, and was silent for a long minute, before speaking again.

"I _do _know what happened. Harley called me a while back. Rather distraught, if you ask me." He chortled, running a hand through his hair before continuing. "He asked me for advice as to how to win you back. I couldn't give him any, but I figured he already had a plan." He looked at me, and his eyes...

Whoa.

It was like staring into a crystalline ice cave. I shuddered mentally. He was intense, to say the least. He jolted me out of my thoughts, and said softly, "I understand." He fell silent, leaving me alone with a tirade of thoughts prancing through my head like Card Soldiers from Wonderland.

I shook my head, and sighed. I contented myself with watching a few more Appeals. Nothing so amazing as the Surfing Muk, but there were a few contenders; a Tyranitar that knew Flamethrower and Sandstorm, along with a Feraligatr that knew Shadow Ball.

I noted that unorthodox attacks ruled the day; whilst some were practical and neatly executed, the more risky and often shabbily-done ones were cheered at more. I noted these attacks were often brutal, bordering on violent. I'd heard that Johto was a rougher place, mostly in rumors from May.

Well, that was to be expected. It had, according to May, vanished off the map for almost seven years, no one coming in, no one coming out. Some of its pokemon showed up in Hoenn and Kanto, but none of the rarer ones were often, or ever seen, until now.

So I figured the inhabitants of Johto had gone crazy with being ignored.

(Wryly, I noted this familiarity to a certain Gamefreak being a bunch of lazy bastards in my world.)

But. There was always a BUT. (Damn.) How did Team Rocket make it here? And just WHY did they... okay, Giovanni, really, hate me so much? I couldn't honestly say...

A timer dinged, signifying the battle Appeals to start. Eight contestants were picked. Me, Robert, Harley, May, Drew, Troy, that kid with the Tyranitar... Aaron, I think, this kid with a Furret, and Maureen-she-of-Surfing-Muk.

I sighed, as they shuffled our 'cards'. Harley got Drew, May got Robert, and I got Maureen, while the two boys faced each other.

I sighed, as they called my name first. Shrugging, I walked up with Bleak, who stood at my side like a statue. Maureen hadn't changed her pokemon. I didn't blame her; with a Muk like that, I wouldn't switch my pokemon either.

"Maladox, Acid Armor! Surf!" I sighed, and thought as Muk deliquesced, and formed a wave. Then it hit me. "Bleak, Razor Wind!" I called. He summoned a storm of wind, which swept through the watery Muk, which solidified as he hit the ground. I winced at the 'SPLAT!' noise. Eeew.

"Maladox! Control yourself! Toxic!" I nodded at Bleak. "Rain Dance!" He washed away the poison Muk had oozed out in his direction.

Points go down on Maureen's side.

"Maladox! Use Sludge Bomb!" He threw it too quickly for me to react, and it splattered Bleak.

My points went down, though the still-continuous rain made sure that there was no risk of poison.

"Damn! BLEAK! LET'S GO, THUNDER!" I screamed. He heard me, and nodded. Summoning a bolt from the heavens, it struck Maladox, who lay still for an instant. Bleak went over to check if he had fainted, when—

Muk swallowed him up in his girth. Maureen smirked. I gasped. I forgot, Muk was a bit of a compost heap. I thought quickly, as the timer ticked mockingly at me. I thought and thought, with one minute left, and my points going down.

And then it hit me.

"BLEAK! PSYCHO CUT!" He heard me still, and summoned a psychic energy, forced out of his scythe. There was no way for Maladox to dodge the attack from inside, and he fainted immediately.

The audience cheered, as I was declared the winner. I smiled at Maureen. "That was a really cool battle. Your Muk rules." She nodded, and smiled back at me, taking the pokeball. "I'll be seeing you again, Lucy." She said quietly, and then departed for parts unknown.

I sighed, and returned to the others. Now I had to contend with a girl who had a Surfing Muk. That sucks. And rhymes. Drew and Harley were up next. Drew chose Butterfree; Harley chose Wigglytuff. (Who has been WAAAY too neglected.)

He surveyed the Butterfree. "Free-eh-eh!" It chirped, not bothering to use the Translator. It was obviously insulting, and obviously directed at Wigglytuff, however.

"_Oh yeah?! Well, so's your mom, ya fat bitch!" _Wigglytuff roared. "Shadow Ba—" Harley tried to order Wigglytuff, but the Pink Puffball would have none of it.

"_WAAAAH-CHOOOOHHH! HIII-YAAAH! JET LI HI JUMP KICK!" _Wigglytuff slammed his small furry foot into Butterfree. The poor purple poison pokemon was punted around the parrying place pathetically. (I love tongue-twisters.)

Drew glared at Harley. "What the hell!? Wigglytuff is insane!" Harley shrugged. "I made a bet with Lucy. I need that wish." Everyone made 'aww' noises. I wanted to die.

Only I'd use Destiny Bond, take Harley, and beat the SHIT out of him in the Afterlife.

I fumed angrily, as May and Robert looked away coyly, trying not to laugh. "Seriously, I hope you people die in a hole somewhere." I growled.

With both Actual Reality and WigglyTodd, the Demon Pokemon of Slateport's Fleet Street, on his side, Harley won against Butterfree's Psychic attacks.

However, I noted she would be a powerful adversary, and decided to keep an eye on WigglyTodd's first Victim from Johto.

May and Robert left, now.

I watched the arena as Robert send out Claydol; May, Blaziken.

The fire chicken versus that weird inanimate object-thing.

Oooh, _drama_.


	40. The cuteness of babies! Kill them all!

(Okay, so! POLL: What pokemon do you want Lucy to get? Anything but Bibarel, because, fuck I hate those things. Anyways, so... Harley/Lucy fluff! FINALLY! –dances- It's been, like, almost ten chapters. Those two need a break. Anyways, so... review! And seriously, I want your opinion. Pick a pokemon, because I CAN'T FRIGGIN DECIDE. Don't own.

Oh, BTW, new love triangle! Robert/May/Drew. Totally serious. I honestly don't know who's winning this one... god, I have a twisted mind...)

* * *

The fire chicken attacked first. A neatly executed Aerial Ace, followed with a Blaze Kick that sent Claydol spinning like a top. I watched as May ordered another Blaze Kick confidently, and Robert just _sat there. _Like his pokemon WASN'T getting... his? Hers? What the hell WAS that thing, anyway? Anyway, like Claydol wasn't getting his/it's/her ass kicked!

I should've guessed. Robert snapped his fingers.

Claydol instantly exploded.

May freaked, as Blaziken fell to the ground, immobilized. See, this wouldn't be anything out of the ordinary; in fact, it seemed like a stupid move. But...

We all forgot about Claydol's Psychic abilities. Robert hadn't. "Psychic." He calmly ordered Claydol. The... thing, whatever, slowing pulled it's parts out of the shivering body of Blaziken, and _re-as-fucking-sembled itself. _Like it was _nothing. _I suddenly realized that the entire crowd expected this same vicious grandeur from me, the newest Champion Coordinator of Hoenn.

I, for starters, did not have an exploding pokemon. I couldn't pull it off. But could I give them a run for their money anyhow? I sighed. Did I ever hope. With Blaziken obviously out of the running, Robert was declared the winner, and May stared at him in awe and terror. He frowned.

"I'm sorry if I scared you, Miss May," He said quietly, bowing a bit to her, "Forgive me. It was not intentional." He kissed her hand, and she giggled. "It's okay, Robert... I'm alright, and Blaziken is too!"

Drew fumed in the corner. I secretly found this hysterical. "Looks like Grass Ass has some competition..." Harley sang. I sighed. "I agree with you, but _ssshhh." _I told him. He snickered, and drew his arms around me.

"Glad I don't have competition for _you." _He purred in my ear. I rolled my eyes. "Except for, you know, my five billion newest fanboys." He stared at me. "I meant competition, not a bunch of horny teenagers. Robert is like James BOND. He's probably going to get May in bed, or—"

Thankfully, a bell signified the start of his match against the Furret kid, or else I think Robert and Drew might've had to draw lots as to see who killed him first. I sighed.

My biggest mistake ever, that boy.

I shrugged, and watched, as he kicked the Furret's bloody butt with Ariados. Again, the String Shot strategy.

Thankfully, this time, he did not dance. Or I seriously would've just let Robert and Drew kill him. Was his entire goal in life to embarrass me, or was it just instinctual? Like a little Inner Harley ordering him around, telling him to piss Lucy off.

I couldn't help but giggle at that image.

Then it was him and Robert. Then... me and Robert. Or me and Harley. Which I hoped wouldn't happen. For the FOURTH TIME. (Yes, I was keeping count.)

I closed my eyes in sympathy and embarrassment both, as Robert handed Harley's ass to him. That Exploding Claydol was pretty much unbeatable. I felt a twinge of sympathy for Ariados, but I remembered Harley always made his 'pretty pokemon' cookies after a loss to make them feel better.

...You know, he might be queer, hated by two-thirds of the Pokemaniacs, a designated psycho, a PMS-ing femme teen named after a motorcycle, a touchy cook prone to uber-sensitivity towards criticism of his cookies, and more than a bit homicidal towards May, but never let it be said he does not love his pokemon.

I had already decided I would not lose. I was going to win. As it was, Harley already owed me a wish, since he lost first...

Robert stood there, waiting. Then I remembered. "Right, I'm coming!" I jumped down the steps, practically flying down, and jumping down finally to where Robert stood across the arena's stage. I waved, noting a bit self-consciously that everyone was staring at me.

"Bleak! Curtain's up, let's go, Blizzard, Dark Pulse!" He fired off a Dark Pulse, covering Claydol in an eerie black aura, and then fired a Blizzard that obscured Claydol's little pink- eye-objectical-sphere-what-the-hell-is-wrong-with-this-creature-seriously-did-Nintendo-run-out-of-ideas-or-what? (I mean, look at Gulpin.)

Ahem.

Anyway, all was icy and silent. Then Bleak leapt out of the coldness and struck with a perfectly executed Night Slash. Robert saw his chance. "Claydol, Explosion!" I winced.

No, I wasn't losing! Not to a bloody British Austin Powers wannabe, no matter how much I liked him, or he liked May, or—wait, what the hell?

Clearing my thoughts, I watched in horror as Bleak was blasted with shrapnel-like bits of Claydol. Strangely, a crazy commercial came running through my head from my time on Earth; "_What do you do when your vase is broken? Call 1-800-MYVASE!" _

I was seriously considering a shrink by this point. That was it, no other option. I mean, come on.

"Psychic!" Robert ordered. There was no response from the shattered Claydol. He blinked. Wait... "Psychic moves are useless..." His eyes widened in horror. I finished. "Against Dark types." I now had the upper hand. All Bleak had to do was get up, and I'd win.

"Bleak! Dammit, get up, you fat bitch!" I sighed. Not the best pick-me-up, but my win was at stake. "Show that androgynous vase-thing who's boss!" Robert's eyes narrowed.

"What did you just say—" He was interrupted by Bleak wobbling unsteadily upward. I screeched in joy. "Go fatty, go!" He growled at me, and shook himself free of the shrapnel bits, which reassembled slowly. Claydol was clearly fainted. Bleak didn't look so good, either, but he was standing.

The crowd was cheering. Suddenly, I hated them all. Why were they really cheering? Because they supported me, were truly happy for my win? Or just because I came out on top, the most violent motherfucker of all?

Hate is a strange emotion. I seethed with it, as I was handed my Ribbon. My first Ribbon from the Johto region, yet I shoved it carelessly in my Charizard-themed case like it was garbage.

Bleak, being the Disaster pokemon, sensed I was about to explode. And maybe I would have, if Harley hadn't come up to me, smiling. "So, what's your wish, dollface?"

I stopped short. "Wha?" I said, sounding oh-so-intelligent. He sighed. "The goddamn bet, you dumb bit—"

"_If this is how you're trying to win her back, you're even stupider than I thought." _Cacturne remarked. His pokemon and mine both nodded in a conseus. He glared at his pokemon, and huffed, turning back to me.

"So?" I sighed. There was only one thing I really wanted... I shouldn't tell him... but I did. "I wish everything was like it was before. You know, the Grand Festival."

I'd said it. I'd opened up the boil of pus and shit that was that one night. I blinked back tears. "I-I... I'm...so...sor...sorry..." I turned heel, and ran out of the hall. The interviewers made to follow, but Szeren growled deep in her throat, silencing any objecting voices.

Harley stared at the doors. And then he sighed heavily, sounding like he was fighting back tears himself. "Me too, dollface." He walked out slowly, ignoring Robert's insistent calls for him.

May yelled his name, told him to get back here; that he wasn't going without them. But he had to. He had to make things right.

I was standing out by the lake that connected Ecruteak and Mahogany. I said nothing, but my shaking shoulders obviously belayed my feelings. He came up behind me silently, and placed a hand on my shoulder. "Please," He whispered hoarsely, "Please, Lucy, I'm sorry. I love you, I really do. So much. I don't want to lose you because of the things I said..."

I turned to him. Let's open up that boil, shall we? Get all the _gunk _and the _shit _and the _hate _and the _pain, oh god did I hate that pain, _get it out.

Out.

"How do I know you didn't mean it?!" My voice was tense, on edge. He bit his lip sadly.

* * *

_-Harley's POV-_

Lucy, no. I really didn't mean it. I... I never really felt about anyone like this, for sure. You make me smile, and...

I love you. Isn't that enough? Please. Please. I want everything to be like it was before, too. I want to be able to hold you. I...

Shit, I'm sorry. But if it's over, whatever. I guess I can forget... or die. Actually, can I take the former? But I just want to see her smile...

"Please. Just smile for me." I ask her. She stares up at me. I shrug. '_Now or never, Harley.' _I steel myself. And she listens.

* * *

_-Lucy's POV-_

His eyes are filled with hurt. Now I'm regretting my words as well. He takes a deep breath. "Please. Just smile for me." I gape up at him. He can't be serious. But he is. He smiles weakly.

"I heard... if you love someone, you have to let them go. Okay. So, I know what I did, and... you can go. But please, just smile for me this one last time, okay?" I stared at him through a shimmering veil of tears. He was being completely honest with me.

So I smiled. I smiled at him, and my tears stopped dripping. "Harley..." I whispered, relishing the word in my mouth. He shook his head, matching my smile with a sad, knowing one. "Thank you... I'll never forget you, Lucy... goodbye." He heads off back to Ecruteak, leaving me behind forever...

And that was where it ended.

Nah, I'm just kidding. Haha, you fell for it, losers.

"HARLEY, YOU ASSHOLE!" I scream after him. He winces, expecting a slap. Instead, I tackle him, overjoyed. "I thought you said you'd never leave!" I giggled, hugging him from behind as tightly as I could.

I turned him around to face me. And, still smiling at him, I kissed him tenderly. He gasped a bit against my lips, but kissed back an instant later. I held him where he was, just to feel him. "Oh, Harley... I forgive you, for everything. I love you so much." I whispered into his ear. He held me tighter.

"I love you too, dollface. Don't worry, now... I'm not going anywhere..." Now he was smiling, the stupidest, happiest grin I'd ever seen on his face. So we just sat there, for what might've been minutes, might've been hours, whatever. We held each other, murmuring nonsense words into each other's ears, and kissing occasionally when we felt like it.

I was in heaven. I had to be. It was raining now. I didn't care. "C'mon, love, wanna get wet?" He jokes, yanking me away from the lake, and up into his arms. "I don't think your skinny-ass body can handle this." I smirk up at him. He snorts in laughter.

"So would you rather I dropped you?" Shutting up, he speeds off, trying to find the others. "WHERE'S THE GODDAMN POKEMON CENTER!?" He roars, arms finally succumbing to the disease called 'Getting the Stupid Idea to Pick Your Bloody Girlfriend Up Like She Was A Goddamn Piece of Paper, Not A Human Being.'

"HOW THE HELL SHOULD I KNOW?!" I yelled back. And we looked at each other, and sank to the ground, laughing our asses off.

Oh, by the way; it was still raining. Heavily and coldly.

* * *

-_Inside the Pokemon Center...-_

Robert calmly observed the two idiots frolicking about in the rain. He grasped May's hand, (much to the displeasure of Drew), and yanks her to her feet. Gentlemanly. Yes, it is apparently indeed possible.

"We should probably go get them before they die of pneumonia." Robert remarks coolly. Drew whines, "Do we h_ave _to?" May glares at him, and he sighs, going out with them.

* * *

-_Back outside-_

I fell asleep out there. What, it was a nice position... Harley makes a good pillow. I awoke in the Pokemon Center, shivering. "Goddamn, it's cold." I remarked. Sighing, Harley checked my temperature. "Wait, what? Why are you here?" He rolled his eyes.

"You're obviously fever-high. You've got a hundred-degree fever." I push him off me. "Great, yeah. Zero! We've gotta get to Goldenrod!" I yelled at the Arcanine's pokeball. Harley rolled his eyes.

"You honestly think you're talking us all into letting you go."

* * *

_-Five minutes later...-_

"God_dammit_, I can't believe you talked us all into letting you go." Harley groaned. I shivered in agony contentedly, and for the fifth time, threw up on the side of the road. Robert sighed. "Some boyfriend you are." Harley glared at Robert. Robert stared back, unaware of Harley's Laser-Doom-Beams emitting from his eyes, I guess.

"Shaddup." I giggled weakly. "Hey, it's okay! I think thizzes the last... tuh-ime..." Drew rolled his eyes as we staggered onto Zero.

"...That's what you said the _first time. _And the time after _that. And _the time after—" I knocked him over the head, and checked my bag.

"Antidote! Here we go!" I broke open the bottle, and swigged it down. May sweatdropped. "I _seriously _don't think you should drink that." I shook my head.

"I feel better already!" Everyone stared in horror at me, but true to form, we arrived in Goldenrod, relatively unharmed... physically, of course. Mentally, well...

THAT was a whole 'nother ball game.

The Goldenrod breeding center was right near the Underground. I shrugged, and opened the door.

My brain exploded from the subsequent cuteness.

Baby Pichu frolicked with baby Igglybuff. Rattata and Sandshrew played happily in sandboxes. The other pokemon were in their pens, perfectly prettily preening. (Whee! Alliteration! ...I think...)

"Oh my god, I want them all." Harley remarked matter-of-factly. I was a bit more picky.

Now... which pokemon...

I prayed to whatever the hell had gotten me into this mess that it wasn't a Bibarel.

I was not Coordinating with a goddamn BEAVER.

But what I found wasn't quite what I expected...


	41. Rythric the Houndour! First Contest!

(I decided! Thanks, Rose, her idea won out. I liked all of them, though... stupid tyrannical 6-pokemon rule. A new original idea by Princess Brat, so there you go, here we are. I always thought it might make sense. The OC's begin... now! Wait and see! By the way, does anyone know Robert's actual last name? I was gonna make it Powers, but then I couldn't type from dying of laughter. TR in next few chapters, because I did an overhaul of this little Contest arc, okay? But they'll be good, trust me. Anyways, don't own.)

* * *

I checked out each and every pokemon carefully. Harley was gushing over 'the cutest wittle Pichu evah', but I ignored him as best as I could. 

I was looking for a strong Appealer. All of my pokemon could fight, but I wanted a pretty Appealer, one that didn't look beaten-up, hungry, and ferocious... just like their trainer, if you gave some thought to it.

I saw the most gorgeous Houndour, but just before I could get him, a little girl received him as a starter. Goddamnit!

A Horsea frolicked in the baby pool, but I wasn't the biggest fan of water pokemon. A plucky little Sneasel caught my eye, but she was being given to another new trainer. I growled in frustration.

"I need an Appealer." I muttered to myself again. I saw the most adorable Cubone, and I rushed towards it—only to discover it was a trainer's pokemon. My eye twitched. "IS THE ENTIRE WORLD AGAINST ME!??" I wailed, gripping my hair in frustration.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a pair of men in white coats wheeled a pokemon out of the room. I noticed a blue paw. With a bone cuff... "_A shiny!" _My mind roared. "_GET IT YOU STUPID BITCH, IT'S A SHINY!" _My legs kicked into action, and I sprung after the men.

"Excuse me, but where are you taking that pokemon?" I asked. They looked down at me. "Puttin' him outta his misery, darlin'. Boss' orders." I looked down at the pokemon.

A abnormally large, puppyish pokemon. Houndour. But this... it was all wrong. His coat was messy and unkempt, like he'd never taken care of it himself, but the _color..._

He was black around the head, but his paws were the deep cobalt of a shiny Houndour. His flanks were flecked with the deep cobalt, spots and stripes of it as well. I gasped. He raised his head, and barked feebly at me.

I saw him wag his tail, -_just_- a bit. I knew I had to save him. Hello? Shiny?! "Sir, could I please speak with the Center manager? I want this pup." I said. They looked at each other, and shrugged. One of the guys tossed the poor pup into my arms.

"Alright, but you carry him." My legs buckled under his weight, and he flailed and whimpered to get free. "Shh, shhh, I'm not going to hurt you, please, c'mon dammit _stop biting me!" _Harley and Robert both helped me shoulder the weight after I started to scream.

The Houndour looked up at me, and whined softly, like he was apologizing for hurting me. I nodded at him, smiling. "It's okay, let's go sugar..." They ushered us into an office. A woman of about sixty with kind, tired, gray eyes and hair greeted us.

"Hello. My name is Regina Palmer. Who might you be?" We introduced ourselves. "Lucida Saxon, pleasure." "Harley Davidson." "May Maple!" "Drew... Drew Rosalind." Robert was the politest out of all of us; bowing slightly, he extended a hand.

"Robert Dashirou, ma'am, pleasure." He purred. I sighed, fully aware he had WAY better manners, but it was too late now.

"Well, what's the problem?" She asked. I pointed to Houndour. "Yes, well, they were going to put him to sleep! Why? I'd take him!" She sighed.

"It's a long story. Do you have time?" We all looked at each other, and nodded. She sat back in her seat. Staring up at the ceiling, she began.

"In the beginning, Pokemon were intended to be nothing more than peaceful animals, pets, possibly. They, true to an exotic pet's form, had amazingly colored plumage, fur, or what-have-you. These colors were what we know today to be their 'shiny' forms."

I blinked. "But... how do you know?" She sighed. "Folklore from that era describes a Charizard as a 'fierce, black dragon, with red wings like fire'. Does that sound familiar?" We all nodded.

"But then why did they change?" Harley asked. Regina shrugged. Then she seemed to remember.

"Well, the story goes like this; in time, people began using pokemon for things like battle. And their exotic colors made them stand out in the wild. Most of the rarer, stronger, pokemon changed colors drastically, so as to blend in better, though some more common pokemon barely changed color. They did what they had to do to stay hidden." She continued.

"And when we studied this, we found something extraordinary; every pokemon is born shiny." We all gaped at her. She smiled, and nodded. "It's true. You see, it's not until about three days into the egg that the pokemon is sent 'signals' through their bond with the parents, and we suppose... they manipulate their genes, using some sort of unexplained power similar to evolution, to become what we call 'normal'."

I nodded. "So what happened to him?" She shrugged. "We think he was premature... logic would dictate premature pokemon are shiny... so maybe his egg was broken open? We had his egg, and the next morning, well this." She gestured to him.

I sighed, and looked down at him. "_Poor baby..." _I thought. I spoke up, "So why put him to sleep?" She groaned.

"Well, no one wants him. And he's... unstable, you see. He's incredibly large, and few people have taken a shine to him; he's a Dark-type, and kind of... strange. Eclectic, rather almost _creative _in his attacks with the other Pokemon. Trainers want strength and endurance, not this." I nodded. But it wasn't a battler I wanted.

And she'd just described an Appealer to a T. I gripped his body. "Ma'am, I'd like to keep him. I'm the Coordinator Champion of Hoenn, and his obvious Appealing skills are just what I need." I looked down at Houndour. He growled pleasantly at me.

She sighed. "I suppose I can't stop you..." I took out my bag. "How much?" I asked. She smiled. "No charge; we were going to kill him anyways."

The nonchalant way she said that freaked me out, but whatever. I looked at Houndour. "So?" He leapt out of my arms, and barked. I released Erose, who translated; "_He wants to fight you. I want to fight him." _I sighed, and nodded.

I took the two of them outside. Houndour—I needed a name for him soon—rushed at Erose. "Stop it with Vine Whip! Wrap him up!" Erose did, but—

Houndour obscured himself in a Shadow Ball. It surrounded him like a cocoon, and Erose had to let go. "_Amazing!" _I thought. "_He isn't affected by the Ghost-type attack, it looks beautiful, and other attacks disintegrate on impact! He's freakin' brilliant!" _He growled proudly, noting everyone's expressions.

But I had an ace up my sleeve. "Erose, use Energy Ball!" He shot out a beam of light, and it meshed with the Shadow Ball, trapping Houndour in the Ball.

Yipping, he stopped the Shadow Ball, and sat down, panting. I grinned. "So?" He walked over to me, and sat on my feet, wagging his stumpy tail. I grinned. "Okay! Dusk Ball, go!" He went inside happily.

It shook three times, and stopped. I cheered. I thanked Regina, recalled Erose, and we left. "Bye, my pretty Pichu friend..." Harley pouted, as his 'friend' was carried away by some little girl. He sighed.

"Fine, you'll just have to wait for me!" He called after the Pichu. I shook my head, and smiled. "You, Houndie, need a name." I plunked down right in the middle of the road, and stared at my new Houndour. He stared back.

I stared at him some more. He licked my face. I rolled my eyes. "Bonez? I don't think so... KajiUmbra? Nah, too cliche. Hellfire... nah, I got better." I looked at Harley. "Ideas, love?" He thought for a moment.

"I dunno. Rorja?" He shrugged, glancing at me. I gaped. Wow, didn't see that coming.

"That... that's brilliant. But..." I sighed. "It makes me think of red in Spanish, which I don't speak. So how about..." Houndour barked happily at me.

"Rythric?" Harley asked him. He barked in acceptance. "What's that mean?" I asked, confused. Harley thought.

"I think it means 'swift-death' in some ancient language I read in a book." I stared at him. "What book?" He thought as we walked on, Rythric barking happily at the bushes. "I think it was a book of Johtoian folklore. I'm sure we can find it at a library, if you want." I nodded.

"Great." As we approached the Contest Hall, May balked at the entrance. "Whoa, some girl's got an evening suit on!" I blinked Okay... why was this a big deal? I looked down at Rythric's fur, and decided before I did any introductions, he needed a brush and some Poffins.

I sat down outside the hall near the training grounds, and watched a few contestants as I brushed his fur. No one had obviously thought to take care of him during his stay, and I was tugging knots out as fast as I could.

"Salutations." I looked up. The same girl was now staring down at Rythric and me. I smiled self-consciously. "Hello... Salutations, I suppose. My name's Lucy." She nodded.

"I'm Lethe." She said coolly. "This is Houndoom." He barked at Rythric, who barked back. I looked up at her again. "You are going into the Contest, correct?" She asked. I nodded. She seemed pleased. "I see. Good luck." Without even saying anything to Houndoom, she departed. I blinked.

"That was strange..." I sighed, and finally finished brushing his fur. It sparkled beautifully now, and I mentally preened myself and my 1337 skillz. I opened my Poffin case, and held out a Poffin to Rythric. He snagged it up, crunching it with well-developed fangs. I made a note to grab a Translator somewhere.

I released the others. Erose was the first to spot a new trainer. "_Dude! Cherrim!" _He rushed off before I could stop him, and went to a Coordinator with a Cherrim on his head. He proffered a vine to the Cherrim. "_Helllooo, lovely." _He purred. I rolled my eyes, and nodded at Ace, who picked him up, plodding away to sit behind me. "_Hey! I have rights! I WANNA LAWYER GODDAMNIT!" _I stared at him.

"Hi. My name's Lucy. Ignore Erose, we all do. Who might you be?" The boy smiled. "My name's Daiki Tash. Call me Dai. And this is Ayaka." I sized the kid up. He was tall, for one thing. Like, six feet. And he had white hair, definitely dyed. One curl was dark blue though.

He had on a plain pair of white pants, and a green unzipped hoodie over a blue shirt. He had a PDA, I noticed. Not many besides those in Orre carried those. As if answering me question, he nodded. "I'm from Orre, Pyrite Town to be exact. Where are you from?" I answered,

"Blackthorn. Is she your strongest?" He laughed. "No, no, I have Golm and Volkan. These are all yours?" I sighed.

"Unfortunately, the flirtatious crazy Bulba is mine, along with the others. You in the Contest?" He shrugged. "I guess. Would be fun. Nice meeting you, Lucy. See you later!" He went off to go train. I turned to my pokemon.

"Now, who's going..." I decided against using Zero or Bleak; they were powerful, but had already been used last time. Erose was not my first choice as a Single Battler, and Ace was nursing injuries from crashing into the Burnt Tower. So Szeren and Rythric it was.

Szeren growled, and Rythric barked. I sighed in relief. "Good, let's start training!" Rythric could move around inside the Shadow Ball, so I had him race around for a bit, then jump up. "Flamethrower! Bust the bubble!" He did so, and backflipped out of the flames, landing on his feet.

He barked at me, I figured wanting approval. I nodded, and patted him on the head. "Good job, boy." He growled pleasantly.

I saw a girl with four Eeveeloutions, and a Rapidash. I gaped. "Huzawha?" Szeren rolled her eyes. "_You have about seventy Eeveeloutions." _I shrugged. "Good point, but in the real world..."

In this world, you were lucky to get one. "They must all be related." I decided. I went over to her. "Hi, my name's Lucy. Who might you be?" She shrugged, and smiled.

"Adriana Kasai. You were looking at my Eevees?" I nodded politely. She smiled. "Yup, they're cool! The Espeon is Shingito, my Jolteon's Seira, Umbreon is Dria, the only male, and Flareon is Ariadne. And my Rapidash is Foran. Is that Charizard yours?" I nodded.

She smiled. "That's cool. See you later!" She flounced off, bright orange hair swinging in the wind. I raised an eyebrow, and then remembered my own hair, and wisely said nothing.

Just before I went inside to get registered, Harley rushed up to me. "It'satagteambattleandthepresswantstotalktoyou!" I blinked. "Okay, repeat that with spaces between your words, love." He took a breath.

"Okay, well, the press is here, and they wanna talk to you, because Banette _accidentally _told them I was sorta-kinda-maybe dating you, and yeah. It's a tag battle; you'll be working with another Coordinator, by the way." I stared at him.

"If that ghost of yours wasn't dead already, I'd kill him." I snarled angrily. Harley inched back in terror as I went back outside. "Lucy! Lucy! Are the rumors of you and Harley true?!" "Lucy! Is it true you're pregnant!?" That one made me stop.

"Wait, WHAT?!" I roared. "NO! Yes, the dating thing is true, sort of, but Arceus, I'm sixteen! NOT PREGGERS!" I turned on my heel. "Piss off!" And stormed back inside.

"_You'll regret that." _Octillery warned me. I shrugged. "It was fun while it lasted." Fuming at the thought that I looked that fat to be considered preggers, I ate a candy bar. Groaning at my stupidity, I shrugged, and continued to eat.

Once we were registered, I did notice those were indeed the rules. Tag battle, and with my luck, I'd get stuck with a complete idiot. "Dear Mew..." I hoped I wouldn't get stuck with a ten-year-old, honestly...

My please were interrupted. The sun had set. The Contest was about to begin.


	42. Contest Arc! Try not to kill me for it!

(Drama! And many-parted Contests. TR once again, not in this chapter. Gah. They'll be showing up after the Contest, I swear! These chapters just keep getting longer and longer and it is a pain in the ass... –groans- Ah, anyways, whatever. Thanks to Rave the Rich, I now support Appealshipping, and Hikari. Not Dawn. HIKARI. Ahem, anyways, so hints of Appealshipping and Ash-bashing!

Thanks for waiting on my short attention span! I don't own this, all I own are Lucy and Coraline. And new unrequited love triangle/square/things!

Oh, and... _**OH MY LATIAS, I GOT 200 REVIEWS!!! I LOVE ALL OF YOU SO MUCH!! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING!! **_

Ahem. This is a dedication to all of my awesome reviewers, who make me feel all special and sparkly. Love you all!)

* * *

I lazily styled my hair, as Harley panicked. "Who do I use? I don't know who I'm fighting with..." His expression was one of worry and curiosity, as the other Coordinators happily prepared. I rolled my eyes. 

"And I'm sure they'll just _love _to be partnered with you, luv." He puffed his chest out with pride. "Fuck yeah! I mean, _duh, _because _I'm, _like, a _top _Coor-din-a-tor." I rolled an eye in his direction.

"You're retarded." I said simply, and began brushing my hair into a bun. I caught a flash out of the corner of my eye. "Buizel! Crunch!" I gaped. "_That's not..." _It was Dawn. DAWN. Holding HANDS. With ZOEY. I raised an eyebrow.

I approached her, and asked, "Hi. Dawn?" She turned to me, and shook her head. Had her skirt gotten longer? I thought so... and some stupid blonde-esque air she had had before was gone. She spoke. "Hi! It's a pleasure to see you again! This is Zoey, my girlfriend." I gaped.

Wow, but I had one question... "Where's Ash?" She snorted. "Him? Pah, ditched him in Sinnoh. Arrogant jerk made me skip a Contest for his stupid Gym Battle. So I asked Zoey if I could go with her to Johto, and it went from there." I was amazed. So was May, who had heard the entire thing.

Dawn saw her, and bowed her head. "I'm sorry for the Contest! I ditched Ash, honestly!" May was silent. Then she smiled. "God, isn't he a bitch?!" Dawn's head shot up.

"I know, totally!" They went off to talk about Ash, and left me and Zoey standing there, befuddled. I turned to her. "Your girlfriend's weird." She nodded sadly.

I headed back to the dressing room, and saw Robert, already prepared. I quirked an eyebrow at him. "Exploding Claydol?" He laughed, and shook his head.

"No, I will be using Milotic. She hasn't had much time outside in Johto." He frowned, deep in thought. "Will this really be a Tag Team Battle?" I shrugged.

"Suppose so. We should probably go register if we're ready." He nodded, and followed me out. We registered quickly, and reminded May and Dawn, (who were happily bashing Ash by this point), to register. I looked down at Rythric, who woofed at me. I laughed, and went inside.

It was there I met, once again, another familiar face. "Soledad!?" I shrieked. She seemed surprised as well. "Hello, Lucy. I didn't know you were in Johto." I blinked.

"I didn't know you were in Johto either. Hi..." She smiled at me. "Hi back, it's nice to see you! Do you have any idea where Drew is?" I shrugged, and shook my head.

"I dunno. Probably being emo somewhere, 'cause he thinks May likes Robert." I immediately regretted that. The two of them stared at me. Robert's polite demeanor snapped, and I saw him mouth, "_fuck" _very quietly under his breath. I giggled at the idea of Robert swearing, but composed myself to run away in time from the two of them, who looked prepared to kill someone.

Drew was, in fact, being angsty-teen and stuff. "Lucy, why doesn't May love me anymore?!" He wailed, acting incredibly un-Drew-like. I gaped.

"I don't think it's that, I just... well, I don't know, but the Contest is starting. Let's go." He sniveled, and nodded, following me into the hall.

We prepared ourselves one last time, and rushed out. The MC, some relative of Lillian's named Sharon, called out to the audience. "As you all know, this will be a Tag Team Battle between our Coordinators! Judges, start the matchups!" The squinty-eyed-guy (Whose name I did not remember), pressed a button.

Drew screamed first. "THIS ISN'T FAIR!" He wailed. May was with Robert. The two of them smiled at each other, as Drew began banging his head against the wall. (Much to the amusement of Harley.) I tried really hard not to laugh as he drowned himself in misery. Soledad poked him in the shoulder.

"You know, you're paired with me. Jeez Drew, try not to look so happy." She huffed, looking annoyed. I studied her face. She seemed annoyed, and... Was that jealousy I saw in her eyes? Because of May?

Before I could ponder this further, I was interrupted by Harley's indignant squawk. "Hey, I'm stuck with you!" He screamed. I looked up in terror, and noted that yes, indeed, I was his partner.

"This..." He started. "...Sucks." I finished. We glared at each other. "Mess Rythric up, and I'll kill you." I fumed. He placed his hand on his hip. "Same here!" We hmph-ed, and turned away from each other.

"_...It's kinda depressing, that this is what love means to them_." Zero remarked. All the other pokemon nodded.

I swept an eye over the other pairings. That girl Lethe was with another small kid, someone who couldn't be very far in their journey. I felt pity for Lethe.

A man in sunglasses, and red hair was paired with a girl with lilac hair and a frown on her face. I sighed, and ran a quick study over everyone else. Mostly little kids, nothing to worry about.

But it sucked I was paired with Harley. Hello, tabloids. I growled, and almost ate a candy bar out of spite, but the Appeals were starting, and I wanted to pay attention.

"First Appeal, we have Hikari Cauthon and Coraline Rush!" I looked up. A girl with green-and-black hair, and a girl with magenta-and-black hair rushed out. I looked up as the green haired one, (Hikari?), threw out a pokeball. "Hinamori, go!" Coraline threw out a Net Ball. "Kitao! You're up!" A Swampert materialized out of it, and a Gardevoir came out of the other ball.

"Kitao! Surf!" Coraline called. Hikari nodded to Hinamori. "Use Psychic!" The crashing water formed a wall, which flew at the Gardevoir. At the last second, she stopped it, and levitated the water, manipulating it to a sphere, which she then exploded. The water rained down on the audience, who cheered. The two girls bowed, and rushed backstage.

I filed my nails interestedly, watching the next Appeal. The girl with the lilac hair smacked the red-haired boy over the head before their names were called. Sharon called out, "Next, we have Kinta Mist and Marello Quinn!" The boy with the sunglasses smiled, and the girl glared at him.

"Go, Derek!" He called. The pokeball called out a Typhlosion, who stood at the ready for his trainer. I nodded in appreciation. The girl called out, "Lola!" Robert fumed, as the girl had a Shining Milotic. He grumbled, "Excuse me, but just WHO spent eighteen hours outside Fortree to get a goddamn Feebas, ME..." I rolled my eyes, and wondered how two pokemon of the opposing type could work together.

"Derek! Swift!" The Typhlosion sent out a shower of stars, which flew at the Milotic. "Lola, use Protect." Kinta ordered her pokemon. The Milotic instead covered the stars with the eerie light, and they began to bounce around, prevented from exploding by Protect. I clapped my hands. It was really pretty, and the pokemon did indeed work in sync.

The Protect faded, and the stars exploded, leaving the two trainers. They bowed, and rushed off.

I clapped along with the others, though waiting for the next Appeal. I didn't have to wait long. Sharon called out, "Next, we have Lethe and Eleanor!" The girl in the suit, along with the young girl walked out. Silently, Lethe called out Houndoom. The young girl called out a Bayleef.

Lethe's eyes flickered around. She said nothing, unnerving both her partner and the audience. Houndoom growled deep in his throat. Eleanor faltered. "Um... Ponpao, use Razor Leaf!" The leaves swirled around the arena, falling gently. Lethe blinked.

Houndoom incinerated the leaves with a Flamethrower. Lethe acknowledged the audience with a tip of the hat, and walked backstage quietly. She passed us, and nodded at me. I shivered slightly, though I didn't know why. She seemed to radiate power.

The other young girl fled backstage, and the next Appeal began. Sharon called for, "May Maple and Robert Dashirou!" May and Robert waved to us, and headed out. Drew fumed. Soledad said nothing, just looked slightly sad at Drew's anger.

Robert called out Milotic. May called out Skitty. "Milotic, use Water Pulse." Robert ordered. May brightened up. "Skitty! Blizzard!" The kitten pokemon sprayed a sheet of ice over the Water Pulse, freezing it in place. Robert smiled at May.

"Now!" She called. "Doubleslap!" Skitty busted the crystals with her tail, and leaped down, purring at the audience. The audience clapped, but the two weren't done. Robert nodded to Milotic, who swept Skitty up onto her head, and zoomed off upward, terrified kitten clinging to Milotic for dear life.

Robert ordered, "Aqua Ring!" Both Milotic and Skitty were encased in water as they zoomed downward, coming to rest in front of both their trainers. Skitty didn't look very thrilled, I noted with amusement.

I said nothing, but smiled, as the two came backstage grinning cheerfully. "Hey Drew, weren't we great!?" May asked him, laughing happily. Drew nodded sullenly. "Yeah, you were..." She looked a bit confused, but nodded. Robert didn't say anything, just quietly waited to observe the next Appeal.

Drew and Soledad were next. Drew called out Roselia, and ordered a Petal Dance. Soledad sent out Butterfree, who swirled around the Petals swiftly. Drew smiled for the first time in this Contest. "Butterfree! Psychic!" The bug Pokemon's eyes glowed blue, and the petals Drew had summoned were manipulated into moving spheres of petals. I clapped at Soledad's move. It worked nicely with Drew's Petal Dance. But Soledad and Drew weren't done.

"Roselia! Use Sunny Day!" Roselia began to bloom, as the sun suddenly brightened from inside. Soledad took her cue. "Butterfree! Solarbeam!" The Pokemon instantly fired off a bright beam of light—striking Roselia. But the Grass-type merely absorbed the sunlight, and collected it in her petal-hands.

"Release!" Drew ordered. Roselia exploded with light, and it filled the entire stadium. "_Pretty." _Cacturne observed. Harley snorted. "Not as pretty as me." We all stared at him. He sniffed, and flipped his hair.

When they were done, another Appeal had yet to be performed, which was the one before ours. The two kids were twins, it looked like. Sharon announced, "And now we have Lawrence and Lydia!" The girl sent out a Nidorino, the boy, a Nidorina.

"Horn Drill!" They ordered their Pokemon, whose horns met precariously, drilling into each other. "Now Poison Sting, Dane!" Lydia ordered her Nidorino. He roared, and did so.

"Laine, use Pin Missile!" Lawrence ordered his Nidorina. The two attacks met, and sparked into a shower of fireworks. The twins bowed in unison, and rushed backstage. I smiled at them; they were two ten-year-old kids, and actually adorable. But I had other things on my mind.

"Our final Appealers are Lucida Saxon and Harley Davidson!" Sharon called. We glanced at each other, and slowly nodded.

I rushed out first. "Rythric! You're up!" The Houndour flew out of his pokeball, tipped his head back, and howled. The audience cheered at this strange pokemon, recognizing his unique coloring.

Harley selected a pokeball, and threw it out. "Banette! Go!" I had an inkling of what he was planning, but I couldn't be sure until I took his cue. "Rythric, Shadow Ball!" The Houndour obscured himself in the ectoplasmic sphere, and zipped around the arena, speeding up as he ran around. Harley waited quietly for a minute. Then...

"Banette! Shadow Claw!" He ordered. Banette charged up energy, and sliced Rythric's Shadow Ball in two. Rythric took the cue, and so did I.

"Fire Spin!" I ordered. The two pokemon were surrounded in a swirling spiral of fire. I nodded at Harley, who called, "Now Banette, Will-o-Wisp!" The flames turned blue, and slowly settled down into a wide spiral. The two Pokemon turned back to us and smiled. I clapped for the two of them, as did the audience. We both bowed, and walked backstage.

"Well..." Harley groaned. "Eh, you did good, love." I rolled my eyes, and smiled at him. "So did you." We stayed silent, just emptying our minds of thought, and enjoying the noise.

Our Appeals had been some of the last ones. Two other young kid-teams performed, but none of us paid attention. We waited expectantly for the cards to show who was going to move on.

I looked at Harley. I wondered, "_Could we get through this without ruining each other? Or can we just not work together?" _I'm sure he was thinking the same thing, judging from the look on his face. But could I answer that question?

In a flash, I realized I could not answer that question.


	43. Rockets Appear! For the love of Latias!

(For anyone annoyed with Lucy's win, don't worry, once the others don't have to work together, they'll be fine. –nods- Bit of pairing goodness in here, though I don't know the names of either. –shrugs-

Anyways, I digress. Those of you whose OC's weren't in the Contest, no worries; they'll show up soon enough. And finally, more Silver! He'll be in more and more often, because I –heart- Silver. Anyways, enjoy the chapter! Much love!

Oh, and for the record, yeah, Harley's ass is _fine... _–fangirl sigh- ...Ignore that.)

* * *

Harley looked at me as we headed out to the waiting area. "You know, we have to get serious if we want to Appeal in the battles together—" I interrupted, with a dreamy look on my face.

"You have the _finest _ass I've ever seen, did you know that?"

This stopped him, May, Drew, Robert, and Soledad all in their tracks. Harley stared at me. He attempted to turn around to see his ass, and ultimately failed.

"You know, you do. Have a fine ass, I mean." May piped up. Everyone nodded their heads, biting backs shrieks of laughter. Harley glared at me.

"What was your goddamn _point?!" _He shrieked, voice rising to hysterical levels. "I'm trying to make sure we can work together, and you are _checking me out!? _What in the four regions is _wrong _with you, Lucy?!" He yelled at me, ignoring the uproarious laughter behind him. I looked up at him, and pouted cutely.

"Youse sexy?" I babbled, sticking my lower lip out. My teeth peeked out evilly as I grinned. "Oh, and that reminds me, bend over a little in the Appeals, would you? The tight pants show it off particularly well today." He gawped at me. Then he snorted ungracefully, and muttered under his breath before poking me in the chest.

"You can touch all you want—_after_ we win the Ribbon, understand?" He hissed at me. I nodded, fired up to win! (Groping _that_ ass was the _best _incentive he could've given me.)

"Who are you using?" I asked, suddenly brisk. He raised an eyebrow at my immediate change, but said nothing about it, just replied, "I was thinking Octillery or Ariados." I nodded.

"Go for Ariados. I have an idea." He nodded, eager to hear. Even though they were my friends, Harley's sweet, sweet ass was at stake, so I dragged him away and whispered, "I'm using Szeren. If Ariados can pull off a Spider Web to wrap the enemy in, Szeren can set it alight. I did all the time with hairspray and abandoned webs when I was little." Harley kissed me happily.

"Utter genius! God, I love you!" He hugged me tightly, and I smiled at his cuteness. But then I caught a flash of pink-and-gray. "_No." _I whispered, horrified.

Yes.

"_We're the Wonder Pokemon! Or something!" _The Trio poofed into vision before me. I screamed in annoyance. No! I could've had a makeout session if not for those meddling POKEMON! GAH!

"_Hi Lucy! Quick message; Team Rocket's working in the Underground again. Just thought we'd let you know. Oh, and we're here to watch your contest!" _Their forms wavered, and they changed into humans.

Mesprit had pink hair in two large braids, and golden brown skin. Her big blue eyes blinked at me. "The Lati twins aren't the _only _ones who can become human." She piped up, noticing my stares. Uxie had blonde hair and fair skin, with a small dusting of freckles over his nose. His eyes didn't wipe my memory like normal, but they were an odd shade of bright rose...

"In case you were wondering, the humiliation of the pink eyes is what mostly kept me from ever opening them." He said, still reading my mind. I glared at him. Harley looked away, but I heard a gigglish snort issue from his mouth.

Azelf had navy-blue hair, and reddish-brown eyes. His skin was beige, and he was the smallest of the trio. They had all manifested as average ten-year-old trainers, complete with hats and vest-jacket things. Mesprit winked at me before they all disappeared into the Hall. Harley and I stared at each other. "Awkward Munchlax moment?" He asked. I nodded.

"Hell yeah." We laughed quietly as we headed back in to watch the Battle Appeals. Robert and May... "Versus Drew and Soledad." As if they could hear us, I heard the Lake Trio pipe up, "Oooh, _drama!" _

We turned to each other, and sighed. As if to say, 'eh, what can you do', we headed back to watch.

Robert and Drew were looking at each other like they were ready to kill. Soledad and May shared a knowing glance, sighing about the stupidity of men. I fully understood them on this part.

"And the Coordinators call out their Pokemon!" Sharon roared. I winced. Two second-place finishers in the Grand Festival, along with their Festival Champion partners. All of whom were involved in a love square. Or oval, depending on how you looked at it.

The triplets were right; ooh, _drama._

"Roselia! Defend May's honor!" I rolled my eyes. "_Oooh, good job being all subtle, Grass Ass." _I muttered quietly. Harley cheered. "Go Robert!" Drew glared at him, and he shrunk back in his seat, miffed. Robert growled softly.

"Milotic, my darling, show Drew whose honor needs defending!" He said, calling out the aquatic serpent. May rolled her eyes.

"Skitty! Come on out, and show them I have a goddamn right to pick who I date!" The pink kitten mewed happily, and chased her tail. Soledad sighed.

"Slowbro! Show them they're all idiots!" The blissfully idiotic pokemon gawped at the audience, waving stupidly.

The battle began. "Milotic! Hydro Pump!" Drew shot back, "Counter with a Petal Dance!" As the flower petals flowed through the petals, May sighed. "Skitty! Blizzard!" Points went down on Drew and Soledad's side as the water froze beautifully.

Robert preened slightly. "I am awesome." He said as if it was gospel truth. May seemed to agree with him. Drew growled.

"Gah! Roselia! Solarbeam!" The Rose Junkie Pokemon fired up its powerful attack. Soledad sighed, and ordered, "Slowbro, psychic! Use it on Skitty!" The kitten was levitated into the air. May frowned.

"Assist, Skitty!" The pokemon 'nya-ed' and unleashed a Fire Spin, trapping Roselia within. She chose to unleash her Solarbeam anyway, and struck Milotic. Everyone's jaw set.

The boys were dead set on winning May's heart. May just wanted to get a chance to kill them for being so sexist. Soledad wanted to win Drew's heart, but you didn't hear it from me.

Ahem.

"ROSELIA, PETAL DANCE!" "MILOTIC, HYDRO PUMP!" "SKITTY, BLIZZARD!" "SLOWBRO, PSYCHIC!" All four attacks collided with each other. I sighed, as the resulting explosion sent all four Coordinators skidding.

And all four pokemon... had fainted. The shock of the attacks, the resulting explosion, and their trainer's overloads of intensity had been too much.

"This match is a tie." Sharon declared, stunned. The rest of the audience followed suit. However, I heard the triplet's voices distinctly. "Haha, losers." I rolled my eyes, but smiled along with Harley.

All four glared at each other, and recalled the pokemon, still glaring at each other. I resisted the urge to bang my head against the wall. They were idiots, honestly. May burst into tears, and hugged Robert.

"I-I'm so sorry... I didn't mean to make you lose!" She wailed, apologizing profusely. Robert smirked at Drew, and took May in his arms. "It's all right, May dearest. I don't mind at all. There will be other Contests." Soledad looked like she wanted to say something to Drew, but he had already stormed off.

I sighed, and glanced at Harley. We were both thinking the same thing; that this wasn't ending well. It was always a nightmare when friends dated. And I didn't need this...

From the audience, however, we had a special guest. "Huh," Silver muttered. "Not bad." His pokemon growled in agreement from their pokeballs. Sneasel, who was at her master's side, grunted a response.

While the others had had their spat, another battle had gone on. And to my surprise once again, Lethe had lost. Why? I saw a replay; apparently, the other small girl's Croconaw had lost control of his Hydro Pump, which hit Houndoom.

She came storming through the hall. She swiveled her head to look at me. "I will see you again." She hissed, and departed, apparently sore from her loss. I sighed.

"Next, we have Hikari and Coraline!" I saw them rush past. A Cacturne that was out of her pokeball goggled at Cacturne. Hikari stopped. "This is Lucida, I'd introduce you, but we have to fight!" And they disappeared. I stared.

"She had your name." Harley giggled. I kicked him in the shin, and stormed off muttering. Cacturne shivered. "_I have a fangirl..." _Harley stared after the Coordinators. "Well, I thought she was kinda cute for a pokemon, buddy."

Cacturne smacked him upside the head.

They squared off against the twins, and won. The unison of the twin's tatics impressed me, however, and I knew they must have been difficult to defeat.

Hikari and Coraline also won their next match against Kinta and Marello; mostly because Derek had been listening to '_Habanera_' while fighting, and therefore did not notice any attacks sent his way. This made a Haunter angry, and she decided to take it out on a Golem. I smiled to myself as I heard the duo's arguments.

I waited for about another ten minutes with my head on Harley's shoulder, when I whispered, "Will you trust me enough that we can work together?" He started a bit, and looked at me.

I looked up at him. "I just don't want you to think I'm upstaging you with my Appeal; I'm not trying to make you look bad. We have to work together, and I want to know that you trust me." He looked back at me for an instant. And then he smiled.

"Of course. I know, Lucy, I know. I'm so honestly sorry for what I did." He put his hand over his heart, and smirked at me. "And I promise to my dollface that I won't ever do that to her again, and I will always trust her with my life forever and ever. Or something." I hugged him, and smiled at him happily.

"I love you." I told him. In a rare moment of shyness, he pulled his hat over his eyes, blinked in surprise quickly, and blushed. I snickered at this, and kissed his head. "You're cute when you're a twit." He snorted in annoyance, and growled.

I sighed, as my moment was ruined by our names being called on the intercom. I nodded to him, and we strode out.

Coraline and Hikari looked at us. "Good luck!" I piped up. Sharon crowed, "Begin!" And so we did.

Silver sat forward in his seat. "Sneasel," He whispered, "pay attention." She did so, focusing her gaze on the girl Silver had spoken about.

I called out Szeren. She snorted a challenge at the other two Pokemon, and for us to do well. Harley sent out Ariados. The spider waved at the two of us before turning back.

Coraline sent out a Dragonair. Hikari sent out Hinamori again. The battle started once again. "Hinamori, use Shock Wave on the Charizard!" She did so, clipping only Szeren's wing. "Jinx!" Coraline called. "Use Hyper Beam!"

Harley nodded to Ariados. "String Shot!" He told him, and the resulting silk wrapped around Jinx's mouth, preventing a Hyper Beam. "Szeren! Dragon Claw! Throw her up!" Using her considerable strength, Szeren effortlessly tossed the Weather Dragon Pokemon up, raking at her with blue-tinted claws. Jinx straightened, and smacked her with an Aqua Tail.

Szeren bellowed in pain, and backed away. Points went down. I winced. Harley was working on Hinamori, and couldn't defend Szeren. I was on my own for the moment.

"Szeren! Fly up!" She got what I was planning, and flew up to the ceiling, wings flapping. "Now! Dragon Pulse!" The long-range attack struck before Jinx could strike her with an Aqua Tail.

Jinx chimed her pain, withering slightly. I cheered up. Maybe we could win this! (Ass-groping, here I come!)

Harley finally had gotten Hinamori immobilized in Spider Web. I nodded to Szeren, who set the thing alight. The fire traced the webbing lines, making for a dazzling effect. I clapped along with the audience, slightly awed by the display.

Silver said nothing, just smiled with interest.

I made a quick check of our points; ours were about half gone, along with Hikari and Coraline's. So why not settle this quickly?

"Dragonthrower!" I ordered Szeren. She complied, and sent out a shower of sparky blue flames, which struck both Gardevoir and Dragonair. "Ariados! Finish this! Scary Face!" Harley burst out laughing as both pokemon fainted from terror.

"That's one ugly Ariados, love." I joked. He growled at me. "LIES! YOU SPEAK _LIES!"_ He gabbled, clutching at his pretty Pokemon. I sighed. "Never mind. We won!"

As we accepted our Ribbons, there was a pretty interesting argument going on outside. Let's check in on May and the others, shall we?

"I don't believe you!" May thundered.

Okay, I lied; it's mostly May yelling at everyone.

Robert and Drew stared at her. "You're both idiots! I don't care how much you like me, it's no excuse to ruin a shot at the Ribbon! Robert, if you hadn't been so concerned with beating Drew, you might've helped me take down Slowbro! Drew, if you weren't so tied up in fighting Robert, you might've noticed Soledad! What's wrong with you two!? And my honor!? _MY_ honor!? How about_ your_ honor!? You two looked like complete idiots! At this rate, I'm not dating _either _of you!" They both sighed, and nodded.

Soledad looked at Drew sadly. Finally, he looked at her, and smiled. She instantly brightened up, smiling back. Robert sighed, and bowed to May. "Forgive me... I'm honestly sorry, May. I promise not to kill Drew again." He added privately, "_However, this does not mean I won't be fighting him for you, dearest." _

Drew was, however, staring unabashedly at Soledad. The stares were returned.

And that's all you're getting on that matter for now.

I sighed, annoyed that I'd won two Contests in a row. Would those idiots ever catch up? Harley, however, was thrilled; it was his first Johto Ribbon, so he was cheering, and generally loving the attention.

I growled at him halfheartedly, and basked in the cheers.

Of course, it had to be ruined by our favorite bad guys...

"Oh, hey, it's Lucy! Hi!"

The boy from before, Daiki Tash, and another girl I did not recognize, were tied up and surrounded by a bunch of Rockets. Scary-looking ones.

"Well, as you can see..." Daiki said, nodding his head at the Rockets. "We're screwed."

I nodded slowly.

Oh yeah, we were fucked.

Then, one voice out of the silence; "Does this mean no ass-groping?"

_Harley._


	44. Old friends! Erose's Potted Plant Posse!

(I'm sorry about lack of updates; I was working on many ideas at once. –nods- Sorry! But I hope this chapter makes up for it! The return of villains and heroes! Erose and his potted plants are back! And OC's have been crammed in! Expect more of them later, I promise. I don't own, now shut the hell up and quit bugging me! –glares at Laywerbot-)

* * *

"_Police are still searching for Mark Washburn and Brian Shields, both wanted in concern of Lucida Saxon. Saxon, 15, was shot in the head by Washburn, and according to testimony of five other minors, was sold out for sex by her father. Details at eleven." _The blandly pretty anchorwoman echoed, her eyes glinting with barely hidden malicious glee.

Many people were having different reactions to the disappeared corpse of Lucy Saxon. She had apparently been shot about six months ago. No body was ever found, and she had been presumed missing, until the five other girls her foster father had adopted spoke up. One even saw her get shot.

In one house, a young couple stared silently at the screen, then at the Grand Theft Auto games on their young son's bedroom floor.

In a jail near the childhood house of Lucida Saxon, two parents wept through a haze of drugs. Soon after, they forgot why they were weeping.

In a dingy foster house, one young girl watched the TV intently. Then she sighed, turned it off, and switched her Gameboy on.

Somewhere else close by in the human world, a teenage boy turned on his old game of Pokemon Crystal. It had mysteriously reappeared under a pile of his old junk, and he had been eager to play again.

He turned the game on, and started to walk around in the grass by the Daycare Center. Music played, signifying that a wild pokemon battle was about to begin. He frowned. "...That's strange..."

'_Wild ENTEI appeared!' _

He'd already caught Entei, and Raikou and Suicune as well. So why was there another one...?

"_Boy." _He heard a voice in his head. He jumped. "_I am Entei." _It roared. He shook his head. "I must be hearing things..."

"_You are not. Hold your ungrateful tongue, boy. For you speak to a god of volcanoes." _The boy stared at his screen. "Why are you talking to me?"

Entei—the animation, even—grinned evilly. "_Do you wish to know?" _The boy nodded, and Entei barked. He felt himself dissolving—

And soon, in the same neighborhood that Lucida Saxon had died and disappeared in, a boy named Gregory Wells followed suit.

* * *

Well, this is just splendid. I'm being held at gunpoint by a bunch of Rockets. I looked at Harley. "Help?" He looked at all the trainers. "Well?" They all stared at us.

I shook my head. "Arceus, nobody carries around concealed weapons these days? They just don't make trainers like they used to..." I looked at Robert. "James Bond?" He glared at me, so I took that as a no. One of the Grunts stepped forward.

"We're here for Lucida Saxon. The crazy one." I proffered Erose's pokeball. "This crazy one? I've got a lot." I stood imposingly in front of him.

"And they'd all be happy to kick your ass sixteen ways to sixteen candles, but I'll stop them if you release me and the others, and leave quietly." The Rocket smirked. He pressed a gun against my breast, and I swear I died a bit. Harley screamed.

"Kid, I don't fight _Pokemon _battles." Right. Guns. I knew that.

I wanted to scream, but my mouth just wouldn't make a noise. Harley shoved me out of the way. "Leave her alone!" He wailed. The Rocket shoved him against the wall, gun now fixated on him. He sneered.

"Aww, lesbians in love. What, can't protect your girlfriend, fag?" Harley stared at him quietly. And then he completely lost his shit, and tackled the guy. Stealing the gun from his grasp, he began to beat him wildly over the head with his weapon.

Me? I was laughing my ass off, turning purple from laughing so hard.

"FOR," Harley roared, slamming the gun down to prove his point, "THE LOVE OF," He continued, bashing the Rocket's head in, "FUCKING _LATIAS_," He gave a ferocious kick to the grunt's crotch, and finished, "I AM NOT A FUCKING GIRL!" He slammed his foot down in the previously mentioned area, and stalked back to me, thrusting the weapon in my hands before going to pout in the corner.

Everyone stared in silence.

"Well, that went well." Soledad sighed. May snorted ungracefully, and shoved her knuckle in her mouth to keep from laughing. I turned on the Rockets. Gun in hand, I screamed, "GO NOW, BEFORE I UNLEASH WIGGLYTUFF ON YOU!"

They didn't believe me. Too bad for them, I guess.

Harley, still enraged, threw out his pokeball, and ordered Wigglytuff to kill.

Twenty minutes later, Szeren was incinerating the bodies of the Rockets that hadn't escaped in time. Shame.

Wigglytuff was laughing crazily in the corner, clutching a knife as Harley recalled him. We both stared at each other. Finally, I said, "You know, you'd be pretty sexy as a girl." He screamed in frustration.

A crazed albino girl burst through the window, and screamed, "ROCKETS!" I stared at her. She was riding a Salamence, and carried an assault rifle. I gaped.

"Hi! My name's Riza! I like killing things!" She said. Evidently on a sugar high, she hugged Wigglytuff, kicked a Rocket's body, and darted out.

"Wow." The girl from before said. She looked at me. "Hi. My name's Aly Greenleaf. You're a Coordinator?" I nodded. She smiled.

"I'm a battler, from Kanto. Good work with the Rockets." Dai nodded. "It was so weird... they just stormed in here, and spazzed out. We just got in the way, I guess." I sighed.

"Oh, okay. Seriously, I don't know why they keep showing up near me..." Actually, I did, but I wasn't revealing it to the world, you know.

Aly nodded. "I've got to go. I'm going to train for the Johto League. I've already beaten Kanto and Hoenn, so I picked here next. Will I see you soon?" I nodded. She smiled.

"Great, you can protect me from Rockets with that boy's crazed Wigglytuff." She called out a Lucario, and her necklace glowed.

"Aura?" I queried. She nodded. "This is Rio. I have to be going; I was on my way to challenge Whitney. I'll see you later!" She took off with the Lucario at her side.

Dai checked his PDA. "I have a call from the Daycare Man... he says Ayaka's Egg is ready for me to come pick it up! The next Contest is in Mahogany, right? Will you be there?" I nodded.

He smiled. "Great! Bye, Lucy!" As he rushed off, Erose wailed, "_WHY IS MY SEXY TAKEN?!" _May said nothing, just snorted in laughter again. I recalled him, rolling my eyes.

We all hauled ass out of the Contest hall. "Okay, SHOPPING!" May yanked on Robert and Harley's hands, and hauled ass with the effeminate men in tow. I turned to Soledad and Drew.

"You two lovebirds go piss off and make out. I have important business to take care of." I strode off, ignoring their indignant yelps. I sighed, and went out to this tiny clearing outside Goldenrod. I released Rythric, and he barked at me, wagging his stubby tail.

"You need training. And a Translator." I fastened the black collar on him, and he barked.

"_Thanks! What are we training?" _I thought.

"Hmm... fire up your Shadow Ball, and tackle that tree." He slammed into it, sending the entire thing to splinters. I nodded thoughtfully.

"Let's see what else you can do." I took out my pokedex Birch had given me, and checked. "Dig, Flamethrower, Shadow Ball, Crunch, Fire Fang, Shadow Claw, and Fire Blast. Not bad, not bad. Let's try something else. Fire Blast!"

Harley came out after escaping from May, and watched us train. He nodded, and observed quietly. He smiled at me, but we were interrupted.

"Lucy!? Lucy _Saxon!?" _I turned, and jumped.

Gregory Wells. Oh my god, Gregory Wells. "Greggy?" I choked out. He nodded. "Wow, so you came here too!"

Gregory Wells... Harley snarled. "Just who the hell are you, and what do you want with Lucy?" It was a thinly veiled threat, and we all knew it. He gestured to the pokeballs on his belt.

"I found my old Crystal, and I was walking around in the grass around here, then some weird Entei came and took me here, I think. But look! All my pokemon!" I stared.

"Explain!" Harley thundered. I sighed. "Go get Soledad and the others. Now, Harley." He shot off, looking pissed as hell.

_

* * *

-Harley's POV-_

That son of a whoring bitch! He just marches in here, and acts like he knows Lucy like_ I_ do! How fucking RUDE!_ Bitch_! I growled, and brushed my hair behind my ears.

And I think she knew him. But that wouldn't be possible, right?

With a jolt, I remembered she was not from here, had had another life somewhere on earth.

But she said it was horrible there... why would a friend show up? Is he really a friend? And Entei? Could it be the same Entei? I sighed.

Mew had banished him, though, so I wasn't certain of that fact. I found them all together, checking out Pokeball Seals. "You guys! Get back here! It's urgent!" They scrambled to pay for their stuff, and I dragged them out quickly.

When I got back, that boy and Lucy were _holding a conversation._

"STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM MY WOMAN, DAMMIT!" I screamed. This stopped the two of them. Lucy raised an eyebrow.

_

* * *

-Lucy's POV- _

I had carried on a conversation with Gregory for a bit; nothing much, just a rundown of what it was like at home. Mark and Brian were on the lam; my fellow whores/sisters had ratted them out. Go girls, go.

I hadn't got to tell him much; just that I was the Coordinator Champion of Hoenn.

Then Harley burst in with the others. _"_STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM MY WOMAN, DAMMIT!" He roared, looking ready to kill Gregory. I blinked. "Hi." He was fuming angrily.

Gregory looked at me with laughter bubbling out over his eyes. "Dude! You're dating _this _guy?! He dresses like a frickin' Cacturne!" Harley howled in rage, practically turning the same shade as his hair.

For those of you who have never seen a man after having both his gender and sexuality questioned, later happenings including his girlfriend coming across an old 'friend', _AND_ also having to deal with your OTHER issues, (like the fact that you just got _schooled_) having an utter shit-fit, I highly recommend you go look it up on Youtube.

Such things are hysterical.

"Yes, she IS!! She is MY fucking GIRLFRIEND, and so help me GOD, one MORE PERSON makes another goddamn JOKE about the damn OUTFIT, I am going to KILL someone!!! LIKE _YOU,_ BITCHWAD!" I couldn't help it. I fell off my log laughing so hard, I thought I'd just exploded a lung.

The others were no help. They were sagging against the trees, cracking up hysterically. Yes, today was Everyone Hates Harley Day. Just like the day before that. And the day before that, and...

I think you get my point.

Gregory stared. "If you kill me, Lucy can explain I have nothing like that to do with her." Harley growled at him. "Do so." I snorted in laughter for another minute, before becoming serious, and explaining everything.

"Gregory was my friend when we were kids. He had Pokemon like I did, and we battled together a lot. We stuck together for awhile, and I protected him from the bigger kids. But... as we grew up, Gregory gave in. He hung out with the popular kids, and drifted away, leaving me alone." I looked down sadly. Harley looked like he wanted to rip out Gregory's throat, but a look from Cacturne and Banette silenced that thought. Szeren growled.

"_You left her. Why should we trust you?" _Mark released his six pokemon; a Nidoqueen, a Blastoise, (he always DID pick the Water Starter), a Dragonite, a Flareon, a Furret, and a Sharpedo. "These are Cleo, Turtley, Drako, Delilah, Kimmy, and Buster. They're my best pokemon."

I released mine. Rythric growled at the Flareon, issuing a challenge between Fire pokemon. Delilah seemed to accept the challenge, and the two fired up their flames. A look from both of us silenced their anger.

Szeren stared at Blastoise. "_Turtley." _He smiled at her. "_I remember you, sister Starter." _She growled in pleasure.

Ace and Drako were in a standoff. Hoenn Dragon versus Kanto Dragon, and Hoenn seemed to have the edge. Bigger wings, possibly. Ace hissed angrily at Drako, who extended his wings in reply.

Erose poked Buster with a Vine Whip, and then hissed at him. Buster bared his teeth back. "_Beware, bitch. I got a potted plant, and I'm not afraid to use it." _Erose threatened.

Buster growled back, "_I'm not afraid to face it." _Erose looked ready to kill him for daring to insult his posse.

Bleak raised his hackles at the Furret, who preened for him. "_Priss." _He muttered.

Zero and Cleo growled at each other. "_I'm better." _Both said in unison. I stared.

"You're getting along fantastically." I rolled my eyes. Suddenly, Gregory's phone began to beep. "Lucy, I've got a call, hang on." He picked up the phone, and listened intently. He nodded, and hung up. "Right, I have to go. Take my number, and call me later, okay?" I nodded, and typed it in.

"Bye! See you later!" He flew off on Drako, and Bleak stared up at the sky. "_Bad feelings." _He grunted. "_Bad feelings of disaster." _I nodded. "Me too."

I heard another rustle. "So, you're from another world, huh? Fancy that." I turned around, and almost gasped.

_Silver. _And he didn't look too thrilled. He sat down. "I want an explanation."


	45. New Project! Team Rocket and Cake!

(I know I haven't updated in awhile. I was working on A Falling Republic, which I recommend you check out, since I like it quite a bit. It's got PreciousMetalShipping!

Story's just getting to the main thickening plot. Just wait! Okay, Satoshi Tajiri owns this, not me. Got it? And for Rose, cake and Rockets. Ya happy?)

* * *

I stared at Silver.

He stared back.

I swore. "Ah, fuck. Have a seat, dammit." He sat, never taking his eyes off me. I took a breath, and began to explain.

"I wasn't lying when I told you my name or anything. And I DO know you; you're Silver, my old rival. Remember me? Girl with Charizard? Mew? Shining Tyranitar? Ring any bells?" He blinked.

"You're the girl... the girl Suicune picked." I nodded. "Yeah, I am. But I was only playing a game, in a world far away from here. Now I'm here instead, and I guess... well, I'm here for good." I blushed, and stammered, "I-I, remembered you... too... you were my, uh, first crush..." My blush deepened, and I wanted to melt into a puddle and die.

Harley was stopped from murdering Silver only by some quick thinking on Ariados' part.

Silver smirked. "I used to think you were cute too, you know." I cheered up—"But I've got a boyfriend." I stopped.

"Oh, fuck me. Wait, Gold, right?" I groaned. He jumped. "How'd you know?" He stared at me with a bit of amazement.

Right, so NOTHING in my story fascinates him, BUT for the fact I can point out an obvious relationship between two boys, one of whom I always assumed was probably bi or gay or whatever?

Yeah, Silver.

"WHY IS EVERYONE TRYING TO STEAL MY—" "Assertation of some shred of straightness you might've once had?" Drew quipped. Harley turned to him, and roared a Viking battle cry.

I watched with amusement as Harley practically ripped Drew to shreds. With a few scratch marks on his face, Drew hissed, and bit Harley, who bitch-slapped him, and bit him back.

I beckoned to the others, and we walked off, waiting for them to stop fighting. We decided to go play the slots at the Game Corner. Long story made short, I think we lost about ten grand.

An hour later...

"Hey, what were we fighting about again?" "I dunno. Wanna go find the others?" Drew shrugged. "Guess so."

Men.

We said nothing when the two came back, merely got our stuff, and checked the map. Silver sighed, and fumbled with it. "I have to go investigate the Lake of Rage; do you mind if I come along with you?"

I sighed, and counted off on my fingers. May, one. Drew, two. Robert, three. Harley, four, Soledad, five, and now Silver. That's six people, NOT including me.

And don't get me started on the Pokemon.

"_Jimmy cracked corn, and I don't care! Jimmy cracked corn, and I don't care! Jimmy cracked corn, and I don't care... uh, repeat ad nauseum!" _Erose warbled drunkenly, letting the words spill out of his mouth as he rambled on about some child nursery rhyme. Murkrow sat on his head, bobbing to the beat. (Or lack thereof.)

Sneasel poked Ace, amused at the fact that every time she did, Ace's tail twitched.

Feraligatr was having a staredown with Szeren, whom he'd had a crush on... until he found out she was dating my rival Blue's Blastoise, Dave. Sucked for him.

Rythric had found that Gyarados was shiny, and therefore was probably holding a discussion with Gyarados about how much of a bitch THAT was.

I just stared at the sky, and asked, "Did you ever think of the sky as a lid?" I said quietly. Harley shrugged. "To what?" I shook my head, and sighed.

"Good question. Maybe something too perfect for humanity to comprehend, something that could save the entire world."

Of course, the flipside of that was something too terrible for humanity to comprehend, something that could DESTROY the entire world, but we'll just go on our merry way and pretend I never said that.

We arrived at the river, watching it rush around a loop of rocks, and go flying down to the oceans of Johto. I called to Ace, and climbed on her back, getting away from the others as fast as humanly possible. You could probably hear the –zip- of space and time collapsing as I got the hell away from them.

I looked up at Mt. Mortar as they made it over, unwrapping a piece of gum and chewing it as I waited.

-_chew, chew-_

Still not here.

_-squeesh, chew-_

Okay, maybe Harley drowned or something.

_-squish, chew, chew-_

Oh, for fuck's sake...

"OY! ASSHOLES! LET'S GO ALREADY!" I still got no response. I glared at the river.

"Oh, fuck it. Let's go, Ace." She raised an eyebrow at me. _"You shouldn't be so cruel. C'mon, let's go and get them." _I muttered angrily as we soared over looking for them.

I groaned as I found them.

Fucking _typical._

"YOU LEFT ME FOR A CHANCE TO WORK ON YOUR GODDAMN TAN!? WHAT THE FUCK!?" I screamed at Harley. He readjusted the mirror-board he was using.

"Um, yeah. What? You left us, and besides, I felt like getting a little sun..." I harrumphed, and looked at the others. Robert shrugged. "YOU wanna try moving him?" I stared at him for a second, and grinned, shaking my head.

"Nah, let's just go..." As they followed me, SURE I was up to something, I whispered in Erose's ear, "Sunny Day."

Twenty minutes later, an INCREDIBLY pissed off Harley met up with us at the edge of Mahogany Town. "I GOT SUNBURN THANKS TO YOU, YOU FAT BITCH!" He roared at me. I raised an eyebrow, and flipped a page of the map.

"Hell, I wouldn't be talking." He stopped and stared at me, incredulous eyes widening on the backdrop of a –_very_- sunburned face.

And then he shrieked in insulted glory.

No, maybe that's not the best word. Perhaps, "Roared-at-the-top-of-his-lungs-in-some-hellish-combonation-of-someone-being-tortured-and-burned-at-the-stake-while-Megadeth-played-AND-this-is-all-getting-run-through-a-broken-down-synthesizer." Would be better.

I covered my ears in agony, and scrambled for cover from the awful sound. His voice was over C Flat by this point, and would shatter not only crystal, but STEEL.

As we all scattered in agony and terror, Claydol sat there with a dumb expression on his... eye. Yes. Eye. Why? Because he had no _ears_. The lucky bastard.

I did the only thing I could do. "For bloody fuck's sake, Erose! Sleep Powder!" I stopped. "Or maybe Poison." But my homicidal thoughts were too late, as Harley was already asleep. I grunted in annoyance, and kicked him in the ribs. "Even when he's sleeping, he's a pain in my ass."

After dragging him past a small thicket of forests that I was SURE were not in the game, we had arrived in Mahogany Town.

Silver raised an eyebrow at Harley, and pointed to me. "You," He hissed. "Better be here once I get back from the Lake of Rage, or I'll kill you." As he rushed off, Harley grinned.

"How sweet. You two have a lot in common; you both threaten people with death to show you care." I rolled my eyes.

Scanning an eye over the quiet, sleepy town of Mahogany, I officially decided there was butt-fuck nothing to do. It was a Norman Rockwell painting come to life, and I hated every minute of it.

But somewhere in this Rockwell nightmare, an great evil in an orange suit was stirring...

And he had _cake. _

"Damn." Giovanni muttered. "Sir? The boy you wished to see is here to see you." Giovanni nodded. He glowered at the man in an ebony suit, wiry brown hair covering his head.

The Lake Triplets were right; they weren't the only Legendaries that could change form. Entei had that much power left.

"You better be right about this, Tiene. He better be worth my time." Giovanni grumbled. Persian yowled an agreement, and flexed his claws lazily, running a rough tongue over his nails, purring with approval at their sharpness.

Tiene nodded. "Of course. He's from the same stock as the Saxon girl." Giovanni snarled at the mere mention of her name.

True, it had been that little slut his son had run off with, her Pokemon, actually, that had ruined his face, but the girl was the entire reason they'd come to Johto in the first place.

A terrified teen stepped into the office room, taking a seat in the small chair in front of Giovanni's desk. Giovanni folded his hands, and smirked. "Gregory Wells," He whispered in a deadly tone, "I have a little proposition for you."

Gregory's voice trembled with fear as he scanned the room full of armed and deadly Rockets. Giovanni chuckled.

"A slice of cake, son?" He offered, sliding a plate across to Gregory. He raised a mental eyebrow at this, but said nothing, and did not take the plate. For all he knew, it was probably poisoned or whatever.

Giovanni began. "There is a girl. I believe you know her; her name is Lucida Saxon." Gregory nodded. "I do. She's an old friend." Giovanni sighed.

"Really? I was under the impression you two had grown far apart. And isn't she dating that Harley boy now?" Gregory's spine stiffened. Giovanni's eyes hardened with cruelty. He'd found the boy's weakness.

"You want her, don't you? You saw her with him, and it made your blood boil. She was a little slut to cross you, wasn't she? She turned traitor. She was your childhood friend, your companion for so many years; for your sake, she, your future girlfriend, should've been waiting for you all this time, am I correct?" Gregory said nothing, but his knuckles turned white clenched against the seat. Giovanni smirked, and continued.

"You were always so jealous of her, as much as you loved her. She always beat you in battles, even though your Pokemon should've been stronger. She was so brave, you thought, to stay away from the popular kids, wasn't she? You left her, and she forgot all about you." Gregory's face was becoming more and more contorted with hate and anger, resembling a rotting puppet now more than a human being.

"Well, boy, if you help me out just a bit," Giovanni leaned close, and whispered the last part, "The little she-bitch is yours for the taking." Gregory's eyes lit up.

"Can I kill him? Harley, I mean." Gregory whispered. Giovanni nodded. "Of course. Meet me in the lab in twenty minutes. We have much to discuss." Gregory stood up, and with a satisfied smirk, not unlike the one a cat gets when confronted with easy prey, stretching tightly around his face, he left.

Teine smirked. "What did I tell you?"

* * *

Back with our anti-heroes, there seemed to be problem.

"Harley, must you walk around with your shirt off?" Robert groaned. He pouted. "Yeah, 'cause of SOMEBODY giving me sunburn. My chest huuurrrts." He whined, stressing out the last part. I should've mocked him, but did not.

I was too busy appreciating the fact that he was half-naked. Hey, I have every damn right to look, huh? Right of girlfriend-ism, Section B, paragraph 6, line 7. Seriously.

"_Is this chapter going to have any plot?" _Wigglytuff asked. "_'Cause if not, I'm gonna go kill someone, yanno? Release the tension." _I took in a breath.

"Wait for it..."

Silver came crashing through the bushes. "Hurry your asses to the Lake of Rage!" I glared triumphantly at Wigglytuff. "What'd I tell you?!" I crowed.

We rushed ahead, skidding to a stop only when we had to scramble past the ledges leading to the forest.

Silver pointed to the Lake wordlessly once we got there.

There was a short little note there... but that wasn't so fantastic. What was stranger was the dead body _attached_ to the note.

"_Lucy S._ — _Did you really think you could hide from me?" _Was all the note read. I blinked again.

"Oh, god." The body in the water wasn't one I recognized, but I recognized his uniform easily enough.

It was the blazing red "R" of Team Rocket.

But what was the weirdest part?

The inhuman claw marks raking across the body, mainly. I tentatively reached out to stroke one. Even though the body was dead, the wounds beat as if they were pounding in rhythm to a heart.

I backed away slowly, and began to scream.

In a Lab tucked away in a secret Rocket Base not too far from where we were...

"Behold, gentlemen," Giovanni flourished with a sweep of his hand.

"Our greatest weapon." A small white ball with a ears and a tail floated in the tube in front of Entei and Gregory.

"My greatest project."

* * *

(What is the project? Only time, and a new chapter, will tell! Damned One out.) 


	46. Erose is Godzilla! Goodbye, Szeren!

(Why am I getting rid of one of Lucy's Pokemon? Simple; because she's not me. Szeren is my Pokemon, and I don't want Lucy to be considered a Self-Insert. A bad one.

Does this mean another Breeding Center? Hell if I know. Seriously. But I promise you this; Szeren's loss is not permanent. She'll be back soon enough.

But the problem is, I am not Lucy; Lucy is a character I quite like, and I want her to have her own personality, not my own. Okay? And for the record, I don't own the Pokemon franchise, though if I did, there would SO be a GSC remake.

And finally; May/Robert is henceforth known as PrettyRaveGirlShipping UNTIL I find out the real name. Which I will do, dammit!)

* * *

"Behold, gentlemen. MissingMew." Giovanni bowed. Everyone stared at the creature, as it flexed its muscles. It rolled over in the tank, and blinked at them with big purple eyes. "_Mew? Missi?" _Gregory stared.

"How does that thing work?" Giovanni began to explain.

"Ten years ago, we began a project. It was supposed to bring us ultimate wealth and unlimited supplies we needed. The thing we created for the job was... Missingno."

Gregory gaped. The Missingno from the RBY games?

He felt a flare of anger. When he had traded his, it had evolved into a stupid Tyrogue that he never trained.

Lucy's evolved into a Shining Ho-oh.

Hate seethed within him for a moment, but he quieted it enough for Giovanni to continue.

"It didn't work. Well, it did, but it deleted every Pokemon it came across." Entei raised an eyebrow.

"Deleted? Not killed?" Giovanni shook his head.

"No... I think you'll need a demonstration of MissingMew's power." Giovanni pressed a button on the tube, and it opened. MissingMew chirped happily at being looked at. Everyone stared back at the furry white kitten, who peeped, and hid behind Giovanni.

Giovanni selected a Pokeball from the table, and tossed it out. A Magikarp flopped about, gasping for air.

MissingMew went over, and touched it. The thing turned red, same as it did when it would recall into a Pokeball, but this time, it just turned into a red ball of energy, which then disappeared.

"Deleted." Giovanni said with a hint of pride.

* * *

Back with the heroes...

"You know what? I always knew there was a reason I hated those damned Ice Caves." I muttered angrily, trying to get my footing.

We had a while before the Contest registration, so we decided to screw around, and go explore the Ice Caves.

It was the worst possible experience of my life. I kept crashing into rocks, and I was sure I'd be covered in bruises soon enough. And I probably sprained an ankle skidding around on those blasted things.

The Pokemon found this quite hysterical. We humans did not.

"Holy fuck, holy fuck, holy fuuuuhhhccck..." My voice trailed off, as I slid on my ass, further and further away from the entrance, which is where I wanted to be.

"Sneasel! Help me!" Silver pleaded. Sneasel shook her head, and smirked, hooking her claws on the ice and sliding around.

Wisely, Robert and Soledad, having some shred of dignity left, decided against participating. They were anticipating our return at the entrance of the cave.

We were trying—and failing—to get there. Such was life. "Oh, damn." I remarked, getting an idea.

Five seconds later, I was pulling myself across the ice by my fingernails. Szeren stood over me, huffing with amusement, and said, "_Has it not occurred to you I could just carry you across?" _I looked up at her, and almost screamed from frustration.

Five minutes later, we were on Ace and Szeren, heading straight for the entrance. "Why you did not think of this earlier, I cannot fathom." Harley muttered, but shrieked and inched away as I screamed in rage.

As we dismounted, Soledad and Robert wisely said nothing. I stormed out of the Ice Caves, past the pond, and went to register for the Contest.

We split up; Silver to help investigate the murder at the Lake of Rage, and us to go register.

I grudgingly registered, and went outside to prepare. Erose had found amusement in tormenting the young children with a Godzilla impression. I stared at him for a minute, and watched, actually rather amused.

"_RAAARR! OH NO! IT IS GODZILLA! WE ARE ALL IN DANGER!! RUN AWAY! HIDE YOUR CATS, AND SAVE YOUR BABIEEEESSS!! RANDOM JAPANESE SOUNDS EFFECTS!" _A little girl with a Sandshrew screamed and ran away. I snickered, and let him have at it for a few more minutes, before I recalled him.

"Okay. Pokemon to use. How about Rythric and Erose? You guys up for it?" Erose roared mightily in his Pokeball, which I took to mean 'yes'. Rythric nodded enthusiastically.

Harley was off preparing, but he wasn't at the training grounds. I frowned. "Strange... usually, he's the first of us out here." I shook it off, and kicked Roselia's butt in a quick battle with Drew, just to make myself feel better.

As they announced the beginning of the Contest, I saw Dawn waving to me. I rushed over, and she rushed, "Have you seen Zoey? She disappeared to go look for Ambipom and Pachirisu! Oh, do you think they're all right?" I shrugged.

"I don't know; I'm looking for Harley, myself." She snickered at this for some reason, but I chose not to comment. As we searched for Zoey, she fretted by my side all the way through the Contest hall, until a sheepish Zoey was found in the wings, holding a Pachirisu by her tail. Dawn sighed.

"Hey, Zoey. You okay?" She nodded, and tossed Ambipom's Pokeball, and Pachirisu at Dawn. "Fine. Let's go, they're calling names for Appeals."

The first three Appeals went fine; Kenny, Drew, and Dawn all Appealed, and I waited, watching them all.

They called my name fourth, and as I stepped outside, I caught my first glimpse of Harley.

"Go Lucy, go!" It's nice to get cheered on, isn't it?

...Well, not if the person cheering you on is a purple-haired boy in a pink cheerleader's uniform. _Dawn's _pink cheerleader uniform. Complete with pom-poms.

"Give me an L! Gimme a U! Gimme a—" "I HATE YOU SO GODDAMNED MUCH, DO YOU HEAR ME!?" I roared.

The entire audience was laughing at my expense. I wanted to kill Harley. "Go, Lucy, go!" He continued, apparently unfazed by my screams.

I grumbled, and threw out Rythric's Pokeball. "Curtain Call! Start with Dig!" He dug down into the surface of the stadium arena, and I ordered, "Stay down!" As he settled himself down there, I demanded a Fire Spin.

It spun out of the hole in a flaming arc, coming to rest in a wide spiral spanning the length of the entire area. I grinned, satisfied with my work. "Return!" He leapt out of the hole, and scrambled his way to me. I patted Rythric on the head, and returned him to his Pokeball.

Harley eventually Appealed, still in the cheerleader's outfit, much to everyone else's delight but my own. I didn't pay attention to his Appeal; I think it involved Wigglytuff somehow.

I glared at Dawn. "You have something to do with this, I presume?" She giggled, and said nothing. I felt like killing her. "I don't think I can keep up with the insanity." I swore to myself I would never let him be alone with Dawn.

She hummed to herself, reattaching some Seals to her Pokeball. I glared at her, and chose instead to play my iPod in silence, steadfastly ignoring all those around me.

Empoleon, Lopunny, Pachirisu, and Ambipom all snickered along with their trainer for a bit; but a vicious growl from Szeren and Ace quickly shut them up.

A time passed; finally, the Appeals were called.

It was Harley, me, Robert, Zoey, Dawn, and Soledad.

May frowned in annoyance, along with Drew and Kenny. I thought nothing of it, however, since I was now anxiously awaiting the battle between Robert and Soledad.

Dawn and Harley were up first; Harley felt slightly guilty, but, (in his normal crazy clothes), took Dawn's Empoleon down with Cacturne. It was a quick battle, as well; about a minute and a half on the clock. Needle Arm to the face. Dawn sighed, and recalled him, going to sit with Zoey.

Robert and Soledad were next. Soledad sent out Lapras, and Robert sent out Claydol.

...You can see where this is going, can't you?

With a quick Surf/Sheer Cold combo, Soledad took Robert down quickly. Explodey never had a chance.

Next, Harley versus Zoey. Harley lost, in a tough battle against Zoey's Midreavus; bad luck, really. Banette's Thunder attack missed, and her Shadow Ball didn't.

He congratulated her on her win, however, and did not vow revenge. I think he'd finally figured out that stalking small children because you were in love with them was not okay.

I shook my head, and laughed at that last one.

Then it was me and Soledad. I frowned. So, Lapras versus Erose. I sighed, and figured that I had two Ribbons already. So I didn't particularly mind.

She sent out Lapras, I sent out Erose. Soledad smirked. "Sheer Cold!" I saw the blast of ice, and ordered Erose to duck. He did, and I retaliated with a Vine Whip. Lapras was held in place, so I quickly ordered a Stun Spore.

"Ice Beam!" She ordered. Erose got hit full-on, and staggered back. I groaned. What now? I weighed my options.

"Sunny Day!" The arena lit up with a beautiful glare. I blinked from the harsh light, and missed the next attack; a Rain Dance to counter.

It was a strange sight; the sun shone beautifully, but there was a harsh downpour in the arena. The judges didn't know who to take points from. I yelled, "Solar Beam!" And Soledad called, "Sheer Cold!"

There was a mild explosion from the two attacks; and when I looked again, Lapras was staggering, but still standing.

Erose had fainted.

I sighed, and recalled him. "You did good, Bulba." I told him, though he didn't look like he believed me. I congratulated Soledad, and went back up to Harley. He put out a hand, as if to comfort me, but I glared at him.

"Sorry sweets, but if you think this is getting you back in my good graces, you're sorely mistaken," Harley swore under his breath. I smiled at that slightly.

I watched Soledad fight with Zoey, and I felt slightly bad for Zoey. She got beaten quickly; Sheer Cold hit its mark.

As I saw Soledad get awarded the Ribbon, I honestly believed my day could not get any worse.

And then Szeren.

"_Lucy? I hate to do this to you, but... I'd like to go home to be with Dave and Dante." _Her mate and her son.

...I now knew that my day could indeed, get much worse. I stared up at her, and she gave me an apologetic smile.

"_I know, I know. But I miss them quite a bit; and it's been a long time." _Though I hated it, I had to agree with her. I bit back tears as we went out.

In another quirk of the day, Drew brushed his lips across Soledad's cheek. "Congratulations."

We all gawked. Soledad turned the exact shade of a tomato. Or a Bloody Mary, if you're old enough to drink.

Robert frowned. "I will _not _be beaten by a _child_." He muttered. And with that, he caught May in his arms as she was walking out of the Hall, and kissed her full on the lips.

Harley turned to me, a hopeful glint in his eyes. I glared at him. "I still hate you." He huffed, and stormed off to Dawn. I went to the Pokemon Center by myself, and recalled Szeren. "I love you." I whispered, before calling Birch, and telling him to take good care of my Charizard.

Szeren smiled, and as she was whisked away to go see her mate and son, I knew she'd miss me, too.

Without another word, I turned and left the Center.

I went up to Harley, and sighed. He got the hint, and asked, "What's wrong, dollface?" I told him Szeren had wanted to leave. He sighed.

"I hate to say this, but it's probably for the best. If she wants to see Dave, I don't think you could stop her anyways." I nodded, and wiped away a tear. He frowned. Clucking his tongue, and looking exactly like a doting boyfriend, he brushed some hair away from my face, and hugged me.

"Please don't cry. I know today sucks, but I'm here, right?" I nodded, and began crying. He didn't say anything, just held me there and let me cry.

The moment was ruined by Silver, who strolled up to us, and announced, "I hate to tell you this, but we have Giovanni's whereabouts." I looked up.

"And?" Silver frowned.

"He's looking for you, Lucy."


	47. Shinx! You're our only hope!

(Dun dun dun! I bring you new chapter! Yay! Okay, well; I just want to say I am blatantly using the Missingno Glitch. I don't care. Anyways, now, what Pokemon is Lucy's newest!? Find out in this new installment! And, of course, the return of some beloved characters! Okay, I don't own a single thing but my OCs.

And I want to give a shout-out to Daikoren Runa, because he reviews literally EVERY ONE of my stories, and is almost always the first one to do so. You're the best, Dai!)

* * *

I sighed. Oh, typical.

Lucy Saxon, the girl all the bad guys want. Oh, yeah, I'm seriously LOL-ing right now.

"And?" Harley asked softly. I shrugged. "Well, I'm probably going to die. Things happen." Silver shook his head.

"You're missing the point. You could die. Am I getting THROUGH to you?" I nodded.

"Well, I'm not just going to sit here and let him kill me. That's just... stupid. So, I propose we attack him first." Everyone was stunned into an awkward silence. I stared around at all of them, and placed my hand on my hip.

"Let's be honest; I am taking to heart the maxim, "Better to die on your feet than live on your knees." Okay? I don't want to wait for him to come around for you, me, and everyone else we know. It would suck pretty bad, natch." I looked around. They stared back at me like I was crazy.

And I was.

"Okay. And just how do you propose we do this?" Soledad asked with a tinge of hysterical sarcasm. I shrugged.

"Bust his door down and go in all kung-fu action jeebus style. I don't _know_." I suggested. Silver bit his lip, and attempted not to snort in laughter. Drew carefully considered my idea for about a second, then, he offered, "Well. How did you do it in... your games?" I thought for a minute.

"I took my Pokemon, went past some traps, and faced him in a Pokemon battle. But I doubt that it's going to work that peachy-keen down here. So I think we'll actually have to fight him. Like, with guns. Or Wigglytuff." I told them. May clapped her hands.

"Wait! Doesn't Giovanni's kid, uh, Faris or something... he should know his way around! So we'll get him to guide us through whatever base Giovanni's hiding in, and we'll have extra reinforcements, too!" It would've worked so well, except for Harley.

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME!? THAT BASTARD WHO'S..." He trailed off. "_Dating." _He hissed through clenched teeth. "_MY SISTER." _I glared at him.

"Okay, well, we're all eagerly awaiting your grand fucking plan, sweetness. I don't see any damned better ones." A hurt look flashed across his face, and I immediately regretted my words.

"...Sorry." We both said softly in unison. We'd probably kiss and make up in a bit, but we had more important matters on our hands. I tossed Silver my cell phone. "Call Crash. I'm off... to..." Now my voice trailed away faintly.

"Get a new Pokemon... Szeren left." I trudged off, and disappeared into the grass.

* * *

_-Battler Frontier, Kanto-_

Crash checked over her new Pokemon. Besides Bane, Scourge, and Franklyn Metro Gerard Charles Xavier Baudelaire the fifteenth, (Esquire), she had caught two more, (yes, she only had three in the beginning; Metro just _sounds _like thirty different Pokemon), an Altaria named Ciciety, and a Gyarados named Luxor.

She checked them over quickly, tossing each a Pokeblock before going over to Faris.

"Ach, my luv. Yeh look layke shite." She said softly, hugging him from behind. He said nothing, just checked his new Pokemon.

Sorrow the Mightyena was still faithful to him; he'd also caught a Bayleef named Botan, a Mudkip named Pippa, and a Clefable named Celandie. All were mingling with Carla's Pokemon, all of whom were tired from their earlier battle with the Palace Maven, Spencer.

Carla had walked away victorious, and now had five Frontier Symbols. Crash and Faris had four Kanto Ribbons each, with three more Contests left. Neither could wait for the inevitable Grand Festival.

But suddenly, Crash was startled by the phone ringing. The ID read '_Lucy' _and she picked it up with earnest.

"_Crash, sweetie! It's Harley! How are you! Oh, I bet you've gotten so BIG!" _She winced. Her brother. Perfect. Adopting an earnest tone, she chattered away, to the chagrin of both Carla and Faris.

"_Oi, Harley. Ah'm foine, and yeah, I've grown three bloody gawddamned inches. Ya happy?" _A rather shrill squeal erupted from the other side of the telephone. She yanked it away from her ear, and rolled her eyes. Oh, he was _such _the walking stereotype.

"_That's SO great! I can't WAIT to see you, I—" _There was a scuffling sound, and an indignant yelp from the other end. A new voice spoke from Harley's side.

"_Hi Crash, it's Drew. We need you, Carla, and Faris back as soon as possible. We're in Johto, and well... Put me on speaker." _Carla and Faris came over with looks of interest, then horror, as Drew explained the situation. Faris' face was an almost deathly shade of white.

Crash looked at everyone, and told him, "_We'll be righ' over." _

* * *

_-Back in Johto, somewhere near Mt. Mortar-_

"Damned hell!" I swore, scanning the area for Pokemon. I just couldn't find a damned one around here.

No remnants of disappearances or migration, either. Which was strange; according to the Pokedex, there were a load of Pokemon hanging around this area, and most of them couldn't have just upped and left like this, right?

I made a quick check around again. This time, something caught my eye. Claw marks, deeply carved into the tree, and from the angle of them, it looked like whatever had been holding on to the tree had been dragged away forcibly.

I blinked, and decided to look around in the woods deeper within. "Curiouser and curiouser..." I muttered, as I trotted into the thicket of woods around the base of the imposing mountainside.

There were now signs of struggles. And against Pokemon that should've been hell to catch, as well. I checked the tracks against the Pokedex, and my eyes widened. "Nidoking, Rhydon, Zangoose, Tyrogue, and even some Machoke... what the hell!?" I talked out loud, narrating my discoveries to myself as I continued the walk along.

This was pretty deep in the forest, I noticed. No one would be likely to come along here. My mind immediately went to Team Rocket, and why shouldn't it have?

But this wasn't their style. They'd want to emblazon the Team Rocket 'R' on every tree.

Unless...

"It was something they wanted to hide—holy shit!" I screamed, hearing a rustling in the bushes behind me. I turned around, and registered with horror that I had left my Pokeballs back with the others.

I braced myself for the end, hearing the war cry that would become the last thing I ever heard...

"Shinx? Shinx, shinx?" I looked up, and cursed myself for my stupidity. It was a little Shinx, nosing around in the leaf litter around here. I breathed a sigh of relief, and slumped against the tree.

"Hello, Shinx." I greeted the Pokemon. He seemed skittish, and edged away from me. His fur flashed white once, then twice. I grunted in annoyance. "C'mere, you little shit. I'm trying to help you." He edged away further still as I stood up. What reason would he have to be scared of humans? Strange indeed! I knelt down, and attempted to get some answers out of him.

"Shinx. Were there people here a while ago?" He looked at me, kneeling down to be at his eye level, and apparently decided I wasn't an immediate threat, and nodded. I sighed. "Okay, Shinx. Did they take the Pokemon?" Shinx shook his head, then nodded. I was confused.

"Okay... then what happened to them, Shinx?" Shinx made a shrugging motion, then stopped. His fur lit up again, and he ran away. I took it as a sign to follow him, and did so, keeping pace with the speedy little Pokemon.

There was a small, dank, and altogether disgusting cave that greeted me as Shinx led me further in. His fur lit up painfully bright, and he walked in. I sighed, and prayed this wasn't a trap, before my curiosity overwhelmed me, and I went in.

"Shi! Shi shi shinx!" He put a paw out, and I gasped. Carved into the rock were the same glowing claw marks I'd seen on the body at the Lake of Rage. Hands trembling, I picked up my Pokedex, and checked the tracks.

"_This tracks were made from a... bzzt, bzzt... Aerodactyl. Apparent strength indicates high-level." _I gulped. So not good.

I hauled ass out of the cave, Shinx in hot pursuit. I looked down at him. "So, if an Aerodactyl came, why is there no blood indicating a kill?" Shinx shrugged.

Oh yeah. Sherlock Saxon Holmes, that's me. Fuckin' _elementary_. And my furry blue little Watson.

"Anyways, look, if that thing comes back, you could be hurt. Why don't you come with me? I don't mind—actually, I was looking for a Pokemon when you came along." Shinx thought for a second. Then his fur glowed a bright bluish-white, and he nodded. I picked him up, and almost immediately dropped him—he flashed white in surprise.

"...Sorry. Forgot you haven't been around humans." I muttered, shaking off the sunspots. Shinx snickered. I grumbled, and asked, "Look, can you lead us back to where we were? In the clearing?" He nodded, and his fur lit up again, guiding me like a furry lantern back to Mahogany town.

Harley was pacing around like a caged animal, muttering something under his breath. I looked up, and swore; I'd been in the woods for so long. It was getting dark, and I hadn't noticed under the thick expanse of trees. He looked up and saw me, letting out an almost inhuman shriek.

"LUCY SAXON, WHERE THE FUCK WERE YOU?! WE ALL THOUGHT YOU FUCKING DIED OR SOMETHING, DAMMIT!!" Shinx freaked out again, and let loose a Discharge.

"...Okay. I'm not going to ask. In fact, I'm never saying anything again, since every time I open my goddamned mouth, a Pokemon attempts to kill me." Harley muttered, hair smoking. Shinx whuffled, and sneezed cutely. I rolled my eyes.

I grabbed his hand, and dragged him back to the Pokemon Center. Everyone's reactions were the same, though a bit less dramatic than Harley's; you could've gotten killed.

Biting back an angry retort or two, I said in a clipped tone, "I have news."

With everyone hanging on to each word, I explained the strange lack of Pokemon, the lack of blood, and the glowing slash marks, similar to the ones at the Lake of Rage.

Silver frowned. "...This is incredibly weird. You think it was Team Rocket, right? So where's the blatant advertisement?" I shrugged.

"I don't know. Shinx being the only Pokemon left strikes me as odd, too. I mean, why take or kill everything but him?" I looked back at the little blue electric kitten, who had been healed and was now sleeping peacefully in the corner. I shook my head. "It's strange... I wonder what exactly happened?" Robert frowned.

"I suspect we'll find out when we corner Team Rocket."

* * *

In the Rocket's Lab, Giovanni was pacing in front of a long line of test tubes. MissingMew was no longer in his Mew form, but in the Skeletal Aerodactyl form he'd been in for a while now.

In fact, while Lucy and the others wondered about Shinx, Giovanni was doing the same. "What was so wrong with that little creature?" He frowned, tracing a finger down the smooth glass of a tube. Frowning as he caught his reflection, he drummed his fingers on the tube absentmindedly.

"After all, MissingMew," the Pokemon looked up, recognizing his name, "you couldn't touch him, could you?" MissingMew frowned, obviously annoyed. Giovanni nodded. "But it will hardly matter. After all, we've got our new soldiers, MissingMew. Do me a favor; bring in Tiene and Gregory. I want them to see this."

Gregory was pacing outside the Lab angrily. "Why did Giovanni take my Pokemon?! What could he possibly need them for?! I need them to fight, in case he's forgotten!" Tiene frowned, and shrugged.

"I don't know. Best not to ask questions." As he said this, MissingMew floated through the wall, and pointed at the door. "Mew! Missing! Missi missing MissingMew!" Tiene nodded at Gregory.

"He says come in. Hurry up." Gregory rushed in, and blurted out, "Hey, what'd you do with my Pokemon?!" They were in the test tubes, sleeping peacefully. Giovanni smirked.

"Well, I think you'll need your Pokedex for that." Gregory took it out, and checked it.

"_Sharpedo: level 255." _He gasped in amazement; as he checked the others, he found that each of his Pokemon had been leveled up to this impossible level.

"...How...?" Gregory managed to choke out. Giovanni smiled indulgently. "Simple. You see, by using some of MissingMew's unique powers, we managed to perfect the Rare Candy that you're so familiar with. By using it, we can bypass the fabled 'Level 100' few achieve, and make it so the Pokemon gets to that level you just saw." Gregory nodded.

"I see. Can it go any higher?" Giovanni shook his head.

"No, that's what we're still trying to work out. 255 is as high as it goes for now." Gregory nodded.

What did it matter? He was already unbeatable as it was!

Soon, Harley would be dead, and Lucy would be all his...

He couldn't _wait._


	48. Synthetic Saints! The Pokegods live!

(Quick question; did any of you try those 'Pokegod' cheats? I tried practically EVERY LAST ONE OF THEM. However, in my defense, I was, like, three. I did the Truck, I did the Venustoise, I did Bill's Garden, but I just usually ditched it, 'cause I had no attention span and did not feel like fighting the Elite Four a zillion times.

Lucy's fear of them is from my own; I was young, and practically lived for the game; if I'd lost it, I would've probably gone mad. Or whatever, either way, Venustoise freaks me the hell out. And her fear will come into play when the confrontation—

Forget I said that! Ack! Shut up, plotbunny!

Anyways, I don't own anything but my takes on the Pokemon world, my OC's, and a crudely spliced doll of Pikapix.

And one more note; the splicing had to happen somehow, right? Inspired by my spriting, honestly. Just wait and see!)

* * *

I sniffled in annoyance, and observed the scene.

It was about midnight, and everyone else was asleep. The couches of the Center had been pulled out to use as makeshift beds, which everyone took advantage of.

It was actually a very interesting picture they made; Drew had sprawled out over Soledad's stomach, and was facedown on a pillow.

Silver slept catlike, curled tightly together like a spring with red hair. A small blanket covered his entire sleeping form.

May had started out a bit away from Robert, but apparently, she rolled over quite a bit in her sleep, as the two were now entangled.

And Harley was spread out over the entire couch, gangly legs leaning over both sides. I couldn't help but smile as I sat in the middle, trying to get to sleep.

I leaned against Harley's chest, and closed my eyes. I could feel his heart beat under my ear, and it was soothing and rhythmic. I sat, and looked at him.

He was so peaceful when he slept. His face wasn't marred by anger or worry or annoyance; granted, it was usually angry _at _me, or worried _for _me, or annoyed _at_ my antics, but at least I knew he cared.

I smiled, and stroked his pale cheek. He snuffled, and turned his head towards my hand, murmuring something unintelligible in his sleep. Pleased, I snuggled closer, and fell asleep with the /_ba-bump, ba-bump, ba-bump/ _of his heartcomforting me.

It certainly wasn't morning, but Shinx was nosing at me, trying to wake me up by flashing white. I snuffled sleepily, and rolled over to stare into Shinx's ochre eyes. "Whuzzamatter, Shinx?" I asked, voice thick and muffled with sleep.

He flashed white again, and pointed outside. I sighed, and taking great care not to wake the others, I headed with Shinx outside.

"Huh? What, is it that light?" I asked Shinx. He pointed in the direction of the flashing whitish-blue light. I blinked. There was an insistent buzzing noise as well, kind of like a machine's hum.

"Hey, doesn't that look like it's coming from the lake...?" I trailed off, and stared. It did. I picked Shinx up, and barefoot along with being in Eevee pajamas, I rushed off, intent on discovering the source of the light.

I raced across rocky ground, until I felt wet, cool grass under my feet. The Lake of Rage stood in front of me, lapping around my feet. I shivered, and pressed Shinx to me.

The light was coming from the dead center of the lake, and so was the hum. "Shinx," I whispered, "I think we should go..." Shinx nodded, obviously agreeing wholeheartedly.

I turned to run, when I heard a splash. Turning around, I saw a ghastly skeletal being rising up out of the lake. It was the skeleton of a Kabutops, and its scythes glinted like pearls under the moon's light.

It turned to me, and I almost dropped Shinx in terror. Its eye sockets were filled with seaweed and silt. And it didn't bother the beast in the slightest. It stared at me with those sightless eyes, and I froze. They were more piercing than any human or animal eye could be.

And then it opened its mouth. "_Missing. No. Missi. Missingno." _The grunts were insistent. And it stared at me, and pointed its bone scythe at Shinx.

"Shinx!" I screamed. "Discharge!" I felt the shock hit me as well, and it hurt, but it worked; the Missingno disappeared.

I was momentarily blinded by Shinx's shock, so I didn't see the Missingno's form change into a Fossil Aerodactyl.

But when it roared at me, the stench of its breath brought me back to my senses. I screamed, and looked around wildly for assistance; but there was no one around to offer it besides Shinx, who was frozen in fear.

The Missingno changed shape again; this time, into a white Mew. "_Missi! MissingMew!" _It now chirped. It floated over to Shinx, and I was so stunned by this drastic metamorphosis that I didn't stop it from touching Shinx.

Shinx turned red, like a Pokemon does when it's sucked into their Pokeball, and MissingMew chirped happily.

But Shinx suddenly broke free of the red light; and it literally shattered, the red light breaking into pieces. MissingMew frowned.

"Shinx!" I screamed. "Use Thunder Fang!" Shinx launched himself at MissingMew, and clamped down. It yelped in terror, and teleported above the lake. Shinx and I both stared, as it zoomed down, and hit the light in the water with a splash.

All was quiet for a moment, save for the machine's humming. Then I turned to Shinx. "Um. Shall we?" He leapt into my arms, and we ran out of there as quick as I could.

* * *

"...So. Let me get this straight. Without waking up any of us, or taking any Pokemon besides an unevolved, freshly sort-of caught Pokemon with you, you went to investigate a mysterious hum and light, and to top it all off, you didn't even put on_ shoes_. In short... _WHAT THE FUCK WERE YOU THINKING?!" _Harley roared at me. I shrugged.

"Well, I think that if I'd taken any Pokemon, they might've gotten hurt or killed. Harley, that thing was a _Missingno. _They're deadly to Pokemon." Harley harrumphed, and flopped down on the couch.

"What's a Missingno? I've never heard of them." May asked. I smiled to myself grimly.

"In my world, they were one of the deadliest creatures you ever encountered, especially if you didn't know how to handle them. They were one of the glitches you often encountered." Everyone gave me a confused look. I sighed.

"I should back up a little. Okay, for starters. Missingno. No one actually knows for certain how they came into existence; some say they were a joke the programmers of Pokemon Red, Blue, Green, and Yellow played on the gamers. Some say they were a leftover Pokemon they scrapped, but did not take out; for example, Togepi, the baby of Kangaskhan, or some beta test for Ditto. Regardless, Missingno and 'M' both carried a risk of deleting saved data. And Pokemon also, as the logical conclusion."

I took a breath and studied their expressions. They ranged from shock, (May), to I'm-too-sexy-and-cool-for-this-on-the-outside-but-on-the-inside-I-am-pissing-my-pants-in-fear. (Silver.)

"They could duplicate any item in your sixth slot times bajillions. And some turned into kickass Pokemon like Tyranitar or something when you traded them...or Marill; though this last one was best known as Pikablu. But we'll get to that." I watched with a grim satisfaction as they stared at me.

Then it hit me. _Pikablu. _"You guys!!" I screamed, making them all jump.

"What, dollface?" Harley asked. I pulled at my hair in terror and frustration. "When was the last time any of you saw my laptop?" Everyone looked at each other. Then Drew spoke up.

"Uh, I think at the Goldenrod contest, at least before the Rockets showed up, why...?" I screamed. "SHIT!" I roared. Everyone stared at me.

"Why?" Soledad asked tentatively. I chuckled grimly. "Why? Because I just signed our death warrants." Everyone was floored. "...How?" May asked. I leered, and giggled darkly for a minute.

"The Pokegods." This didn't evoke the terror it should have. Everyone stared at me. "...What? Pokegods?" I put my head in my hands for a second.

"The Pokegods are even more famous than Missingno; Venustoise, Mewthree, Charcolt, Pikablu, LM4, Flareth, MewX, Pikaflare, Pikapix, Pikasap, and Bill's Garden, along with many others. They were the impossible; they were rumored to have stats of literally ninety-nine hundred and above; they were time-consuming, usually because you had to beat the Elite Four over a million times, and by most accounts, fake." I took in a sharp intake of breath.

"But. Do I think Giovanni has the technology to manufacture something like the Pokegods? Yes. And why? Because of me." Harley shook his head.

"There's no way it's your fault! I don't believe it!" I stood up. Shaking my head sadly, I whispered, "I... I had the instructions to manufacture the Pokegods in my Favorites on my laptop. He'll know how to do it, and he's going to do it." Robert frowned.

"In the case of him actually getting this to work, do we have a chance?" I stared at him. Then I started laughing.

"Are you fucking _kidding _me?! Why do you think they're called the _fucking POKEGODS!? _Because they're goddamned fuzzy fucking BUNNIES?!" My voice rose to a temper pitch. Silver conveniently shoved us all out the door, so as not to arouse the suspicions of Nurse Joy.

"THEY ARE GODDAMN INVINCIBLE! THE SYNTHETIC SAINTS! THEY'RE THE STRONGEST THINGS IN EXISTENCE!" I was raving now, but the fact was, the Pokegods had haunted my nightmares ever since I was a child. They were the scariest things in the world to me.

They were a break from my safe little world of Pokemon; they shouldn't exist, did _not _exist. They could kill my Pokemon, the rumors said.

Their stats were the highest of any Pokemon ever made. They were truly gods, but not the gods of Sunday school; they were destructive, malicious gods. The gods no one wanted you to know about. The gods that no one liked to acknowledge existed.

"THEY WILL KILL US ALL, DO YOU HEAR ME?! THEY ARE REVERED AND FEARED! AND DO YOU KNOW WHY?!" My voice dropped to a quiet, low tone; which, by all accounts, was more frightening.

"_Because no one could hold them. _We could never have them, so we feared them. We wanted them, but we didn't want the consequences of game crashes—or in this case, death. But I believe Giovanni will find a way to create them. And he will control them." Harley stared at me.

"...You know, it's not your fault." He said dumbly. I looked into his eyes. He smiled at me, and he shook his head. "You act like you could've seen this happen. Pokegods or no Pokegods, we'll see this through. And it's all because we love you, and we're in this with you because we want to help." I was floored.

That was incredibly, well, random, but I really needed it right now.

"...I love you guys too. You're the best things that ever happened to me." And before I could register it, I was bawling my eyes out, my face buried in Harley's chest. He sighed, and rocked me back and forth in a hug, whispering comforting sounds into my ear. I sniffled, and whispered, "_Thank you for letting me cry." _He stopped.

Then, even quieter, he whispered, "_It's my pleasure, dollface." _I smiled, and hugged him tightly.

"_...Urge to break up the moment... rising..." _Wigglytuff muttered, tossing a knife from paw to paw. But he didn't even have to. Shinx did it.

"SHIIINNNXX! Shinx! Shinx, shinx!" I turned to the spooked electric kitten. He glowed white again, and raced off.

"Shinx! Shinx! Come back!" I yelled, racing off after him, everyone else in hot pursuit. We were headed back in the direction of the Lake of Rage. Not a good place to be at the moment, especially with what Giovanni was creating downstairs.

* * *

The boss himself stared at the machine in front of him. The background was a picture of a Vulpix and an Eevee frolicking in a cutesy little flower garden. He was revolted.

"...You're trying to tell me that this... thing, in fact holds the key to our victory?" Tiene and Gregory nodded. Giovanni frowned.

"...These Pokegods. They exist." He was finding this rather hard to believe, since after all, synthetic Pokemon were his specialty. His motto; if Team Rocket didn't make it, well, it's natural. And probably not crazy.

Gregory frowned. "...Not exactly; they were fake, but I think we might be able to create something from them, you know? Like, if we take some of Pikachu's DNA, and so on, and splice them, we could actually make the Pokegods. And if we can enhance the quality of the Rare Candy superdrugs you're making, we can up the stat gains to ninety-nine hundred." He said.

Giovanni clapped him on the shoulder. "Simply a wonderful idea, Gregory! Showing your brilliant mind, eh? Well, let's get to work!"

After procuring a Pikachu and a Vulpix from the Labs downstairs, they went to the main Lab, where Gregory's Pokemon were still recuperating from their sudden level gains.

Giovanni took both the Pikachu and the Vulpix, and put them in separate splicing machines, which were made of titanium alloy and wire mesh, both of which repelled blood stains quite nicely.

Giovanni pressed a button on a beeping board of electronic thingamabobs and whatchamacallits, things he wasn't particularly sure of worked, but well, that was the scientists' job.

The Pikachu and the Vulpix flew up from the cages, which were pulled by magnetic forces to rise against the tubes; the sickly green liquid bubbled and sloshed as a strange mass was accepted into its midst.

They fell together into a single clear tube, and Tiene frowned. "Isn't that some form of acid? Won't they just disintegrate?" Giovanni smirked. Shaking his head, he flipped open the laptop, and looked at a picture of Pikapix on the website.

"Not completely." He pressed a few more buttons, ones that had pictures of appendages of sorts attached to them. The tube glowed an incredibly bright white, and then faded to a soft sky blue, then back to white again.

The Pikachu and the Vulpix had dissolved—but not completely. There were still parts of both Pokemon floating around. The parts that had broken off were sinking down to the bottom of the tube. They painted spirals of blood in the water, and the flesh ripped off in tiny flakes, sort of what you'd feed to your fish.

Giovanni chuckled at Gregory's stunned expression. "Come now, boy. Just _how _did you think we did our splicing?" He pressed a button marked 'FUSE'.

The tube glowed a soft rosewater color, then a bright white once again.

They got a look at this new creation. It had the zig-zag tail of a Pikachu, and the strange pointed ears of a Pikachu, with a Vulpix's head and body. It was a soft reddish-brown, with a yellow underbelly. Gregory stared at the screen of the laptop, then the new creation.

It blinked, and swam up to the tube, pressing a paw on the glass gently.

"...I guess it worked." Gregory said softly.


	49. Erose Potter! Underwater Lab Ahoy!

(Hi everyone! This is a long chapter, to apologize for not updating. I'm sorry, I was working on that Death Note 'fic. At any rate, this is where the confrontation starts! And Harry Potter jokes! But only for this chapter, I swear. At the expense of my sanity trying to figure this out, I have given you this new chapter!

Things I do not own: Pokemon, Harry Potter, and everyone but Lucy and Gregory. And I love Pikapix. Someone make one for me, and I will be eternally grateful. /looks hopefully at Nintendo./)

* * *

It was nine in the morning, and everyone was at a loss for ideas. Shinx had led us right to the Lake of Rage, and then—

Absolutely nothing.

We hadn't seen any sign of anything vaguely related to Team Rocket, or any of its subsidiary companies, et al. Harley had been chosen to make breakfast, and while he did so with an annoying flamboyance that I did _not _need at this hour, we made a plan.

"So, run this by me again. Lucy, you said you saw MissingMew dive into the lake after attempting to attack both you and Shinx, and that you saw a light in the midst of the entire thing? And a machine's hum? I mean, not to discredit you, but it doesn't sound plausible. The light might've just been a group of Chinchou or Lanturn; and Vibrava wings beating sound a lot like machines." Silver ventured. I grumbled, and brushed hair hurriedly out of my eyes.

I knew there was something in that lake. I _knew. _But no one believed me, and quite frankly, there wasn't much reason to do so.

Even to me, my arguments sounded pretty translucent; really? A lab under the lake? Surrounded by _water? _

Yeah, okay.

I drummed my fingers on my lap. "...Well, if we wait until night, maybe we'll see something. Like, the lights are probably only visible in the dark. You know? And they might work at night exclusively. Like _vampires." _No one looked particularly convinced.

"...Well, does anyone have a fucking better idea?! Not hearing any freakin' suggestions, people! Come on!" I screamed, losing my temper quickly—as I had five times previously.

Silver sighed. "...I don't think we have one. I suppose we might as well stake out the lake, since we've got nothing much else to go on." I nodded, basking in the glow of my superiority.

"Breakfast! And no, Shinx, that is not for you! My _hat_! Christ!" Harley called. Shinx was teething, and had chosen Harley's hat as his unfortunate victim. I sniggered, and stole a pancake.

Business as usual this morning; the Pokemon were getting some exercise, and eating. Erose was attempting to get the strip of turf he had ripped out of the ground to float in the air. "_Wingardium Leviosa, you bitch! I SAID MOTHERFUCKIN' FLOAT, DAMMIT!!" _He had a twig in his vine that had a very angry Ace's scale duct-taped to it, and he was waving it around.

"...Christ, now he's channeling Harry Potter." I remarked, sipping my coffee. "I'm waiting for the Caps Lock angst." Sure enough...

"_DRACO, WHY DO YOU CLOSE YOUR EYES WHEN WE MAKE LOVE?!" _He screamed, while attempting to carve a lightning bolt into his head. Shinx watched this with incredulous mews every so often. I grumbled in annoyance, and kept eating, even as everyone began laughing at me.

"Oh! That reminds me! I was grooming everyone last night, and I happened to notice that Rythric looks pretty close to evolving. Want to try training him a bit?" Soledad offered, desperately trying to ignore The-Bulbasaur-That-Would-Not-Die. I nodded, and inching past Erose Potter, I went for Rythric, who was eating with Ariados.

"_MY PARENTS ARE DEAD!" _Erose roared.

Ace grunted in annoyance, still pissed after the scale incident. "_Well, stupid, you technically never had parents. Your mom was probably a Ditto, and your father was probably a druggie and an alcoholic, from the look of his progeny. I mean, with parents like that, _where _could you have gone wrong?" _

...The sarcasm made a whistling noise as it flew over Erose's head.

"..._Snape is SUCH a stupid bastard, isn't he?" _He ventured.

Ace grunted. "_...Well, no." _

"_WHY DON'T YOU AGREE WITH MY OPINIONS?! I SAVED US ALL FROM VOLDEMORT!! WORSHIP AT MY FEET!!" _I had to interrupt.

"This is the Pokemon world, not Harry Potter. Erose, quit it with the wand. Seriously. Really annoying. And Harry is a git. Snape is the true hero."

The other people in our little group stared on, unawares of who Harry Potter was, or how many people he made cry in the _Deathly Hallows._

(And I promise, no more Harry Potter references. I swear. /Crosses fingers./)

"...Well, what do we do while we wait for nighttime?" I asked. Robert snorted in disgust.

"We were just discussing the training of your Pokemon, until you and this... Harry, interrupted. May we get on to training?"

Like trainer, like Pokemon. The sarcasm was missing its mark today worse than one of Cupid's arrows.

"...Yup! Okay! Rythric! Use Shadow Ball!" Soledad quickly retaliated with Slowbro. "Hydro Pump!" I winced.

"Use the Shadow Shield!" His little aura ball enveloped him, and Slowbro's attack damage was halved. I nodded in approval.

"Hey! Let's make this a Double Battle! Harley, you and Soledad!" He nodded, and Cacturne soon accompanied Slowbro on our makeshift battlefield.

"Shinx! Go!" Shinx bounded out, and I frowned, as an idea suddenly came to me.

Shinx didn't have a name. And technically, I hadn't caught him yet. So, I'd have to remedy that. But first, back to the battle.

"Shinx! Use Thunder Fang on Slowbro! Rythric! Trap Cacturne in a Fire Spin!" The two attacks met their marks, but since both Rythric and Shinx had little experience, they didn't do as much damage as I'd hoped. Christ.

"Um. Dig, Rythric! And Shinx, use Discharge!" It hit both opponents, and Rythric was excluded by virtue of being underground, bless him. This considerably lightened my spirits.

"Rythric! Burrow close, and use Flamethrower out of the hole!" The grass surrounding the hole seared, as Rythric spat flames in both Cacturne and Slowbro's direction. I calculated the damage. So far, decent. I got one supereffective and one not-so-effective for each. If we kept it up, this might go somewhere.

"Rythric! Use Dig, and leap up on Cacturne!" He did so, jumping out of the hole, and grabbing hold of Cacturne by the hat.

"Right!" I said, anticipating a win. "Use Flamethrower!" He blasted Cacturne with a vicious flame attack, but as I was working on Cacturne, Slowbro had cornered Shinx.

"Oh, great. Shinx! Discharge, then Thunder Fang! Rythric, help with Shadow Ball!" Cacturne was struggling to stand, so I ignored him for the moment. Slowbro winced with pain as the attacks connected. Soledad frowned.

"Swamp them both with a Surf, then turn it into a Whirpool!" Cacturne leapt out of the way as the typhoon hit both of my Pokemon.

The water swirled around them both, and I winced. This wasn't ending well. But I had an idea. "Discharge!" The electricity crackled and fizzled around the spiral torrent, and I ordered a Fire Blast. From the inside, this caused the entire Whirlpool to go up in steam. I clapped.

"Slowbro! Finish this with Psychic on Shinx!" I smirked. "Not gonna work; Dark types—" Rythric was slammed with a furry ball of blue. In complete shock, Shinx unleashed a giant electric spark on Rythric. I swore in anger. Soledad smirked.

I fumed in humiliation. I _refused _to lose to her again. I absolutely _refused. _"Pull yourself together, Shinx! Use THUNDER!" Shinx let loose a humungous blast of electricity that crackled like small fireworks.

Slowbro took the hit, and went down. Shinx went over to see if he had fainted, and for good measure, shocked him again.

Slowbro had indeed fainted. I gave a cheer, and raced out to the both of them, hugging them happily. "_We rule!" _Rythric cheered. I nodded, and danced around happily.

Soledad sighed, and recalled Slowbro. I stopped dancing, and looked up at the sky. Was it my imagination, or had I just seen Drako and Gregory? Shrugging it off, I nodded at Harley, and he grinned.

Both of us yanked our shirts off, and ran for the lake. Yes. In broad daylight. And even though there might possibly be a gigantic lab around the bottom, that was _not _stopping me.

"BANZAI!!" I roared, hitting the water with a gigantic splash. "SPLASHFIGHT!" I dunked Harley under the water, and ordered a Wing Attack from Ace to stir up the water. I grinned happily at my now-soaked compatriots.

"...Eh, who's up for some swimming?!" I cried, waving my arms around. Everyone glared at me. "Slowbro, use whirlpool." Soledad hissed. I shrieked, getting sucked under quickly.

Drew snickered. "Hey, I'm not complaining. Wet T-shirts for all." Soledad and May both kicked him into the water, where he landed facedown.

Meanwhile, I was screaming. "_I FUCKING KNEW IT!" _I roared.

Though the water was murky, I could _definitely _see something under the water. And it looked quite a bit like a Rocket Lab, evidenced by the giant red 'R' spraypainted on the side. I sighed. Typical narcissism.

Kicking my way up, I screamed, "THEY'RE UNDER THE FREAKING WATER! I TOLD YOU SO!" Everyone looked at me like I'd sprouted another head. "Go under water! You'll see!"

May tried it first, swimming under quickly, and not coming back up for a bit. Robert was starting to have a nervous breakdown by the time she got up. Before he could obsess over her well-being, she cried, "There's a lab under there!"

Everyone was completely silent. Then...

"Shinx. Shinx, shinx." I giggled. Shinx had a self-satisfied smirk on his face, and it was so cute that I would've hugged him, except for the fact that it might've killed me.

"...Fuck." Silver grumbled, scrabbling out of the water. I leapt out gracefully, and began a singsong chant of 'I told you so, I told you so, I told you so!' This continued for about five minutes, during which everyone dried off, and shrugged on random parts of their clothing.

"I told you so, I told you so, I told you so, I told you so—" Having finally had enough, Harley yanked me to him and covered my lips with his own.

When we broke apart, he groaned in annoyance. "Would you quit being so _loud?" _I sniggered. "That's what she said." He stared at me, obviously having no clue of what I just meant. I sighed.

"Forget it. Let's just get ready to go."

* * *

We still had some time before night fell, so I decided to make it official. "Shinx! You ready?" He stood at attention. "Shinx, Shinx!" I nodded. "Pokeball, go!" I chucked a Luxury Ball at him, and it bounced off—

Shinx turned red, just like all Pokemon do, but this time, it was exactly like Missingno; the red light shattered into a million pieces. He seemed confused as well. "Shinx?" He said, nosing the Pokeball. I stared. It was certainly possible, but unexpected, after all.

"What's wrong?" Harley asked, staring in wonder at the Pokeball and Shinx both. I thought. Never in my life had I heard of a glitch like this. Even the Glitch Pokemon and the Pokegods were purported to be catchable. I cursed. If only I had my laptop...

"Maybe he belongs to someone else?" May suggested. I shook my head. "No, this happened when MissingMew tried to delete him. It's just weird..." I made an annoyed noise.

"Well, you said Missingnos were glitches, right? So what if Shinx is a glitch? It would explain a lot; I don't think a glitch would have an effect on another glitch." Robert offered. I stopped and contemplated it. Taking out my Pokedex, I checked Shinx out.

He was utterly normal. Didn't have the Pokerus, didn't have a Shiny status, his stats were just a bit above average, and he didn't have an outlandish moveset.

"The plot thickens." I grumbled. "Just what is wrong with you, Shinx?" Shinx made a shrugging motion. I sighed, and waved a hand. "At the very least, I can give you a name. How about Watson?" He nodded, obviously liking it.

"Sherlock Saxon Holmes, and her dear Watson. This will end wonderfully, won't it?" I grumbled, trying to fasten a Translator on him. Immediately, it sparked, and fell off. I groaned.

"Goddamnit, doesn't anything work around here!?" I wailed. Watson frowned.

Silver looked up at the sky, and pursed his lips. "It's night. And I think I hear humming." We all looked at the lake, which indeed had begun to bubble and froth, all the while as eerie lights and sounds finished this jazz number from hell.

"Shall we go?" I offered, recalling everyone, much to Watson's chagrin. With no Pokeball, he'd have to swim. May called out Wartortle; Robert summoned Milotic, and Soledad called out Lapras and Slowbro, and Harley detached Octillery from his leg in annoyance. I sighed, having no water Pokemon. Shrugging, I dove down first.

I noted we didn't have much time, and kicked faster and faster. Watson kept Pokemon away by flashing his fur. My head felt like it was going to explode, but we were getting closer.

Spots flashed before my eyes, and my head felt fuzzy, but Harley shoved me forward, and he ordered Octillery to Octazooka the window open. I swam through, gasping for air.

Everyone made it through quickly, and we stared, amazed, disquieted at our surroundings. The entire place was a washed-out, grayish white. The tiles were cracked and moldy, and water dripped from the ceiling. Shivering, I pressed myself close to Harley as we walked.

Where were Crash and Faris? I wondered. My guess is that they had no idea the stuff was underwater, and were searching for us in the old Rocket Hideout back in Mahogany. I sighed. So we were on our own.

None of us spoke. We were anxiously awaiting the alarms to sound, but none came. It was like he knew we were here, and was just waiting for us to arrive, so he could kill us.

I remembered the Pokegods. Stifling my breath, I felt a wave of fear overtake me for a minute, effectively drowning out all reason. "_Please god, I don't want to die." _I whispered, biting my lips to make sure I wasn't completely numb. Harley grasped my hand tightly, and nodded at me. "_We're in this with you to the end, dollface." _He whispered.

We walked down the hallway, with only the sound of footsteps echoing behind us for company. The shadows leapt out at me, ready to strike if I let down my guard and let go on my grip. I shook my head, and ignored the shadows. They couldn't hurt me. I was nothing more than a shadow, myself. I melted away.

It was so goddamn quiet. Why was it so quiet? I didn't want to be alone with my thoughts. And they were so loud in the quiet.

I walked further, until I saw a sickly glow behind the doors. I turned to the others, wanting closure to open the door. They all nodded, and I turned the knob softly.

It was the heart of the Lab. Machines buzzed and computers beeped, displaying colorful numbers, pictures, and symbols. I heard a voice.

"I think I heard something. Want me to go check it out?" I recognized that voice. I smiled happily.

"Greggy! Greggy, are you okay!? Did they hurt you?" I was so excited to see him! He was here now, and he'd help us! "Greggy!" I cried, rushing towards the shadowed figure. The shadows let go of him, and there stood my childhood friend, holding a Pikapix. _The _Pikapix.

A Pokegod.

I gasped. He smiled eerily at me.

"It's so good to see you again, my love. Hold her while I go kill Harley, would you?"

And with that, he pulled out a gun.


	50. Memento Mori

(Super-long. And oh, how I love the ending...

Galby, I have the Pikapix pic. I did that and Venustoise, and as soon as I get a chance, it'll be my icon. So everyone can get a look.

Yes, I will update soon. I do this only because I leave you with a HUGE cliffy. Please give me con-crit on it, I'm not sure how well I did.

Just two HP jokes this time. I have my vices, and making fun of Harry Potter is one of them. Okay, I don't own Nintendo, Harry Potter, et al.

Mewthree pwns. Expect more of him in the future.

Two more things: One, I am the most pro-hacking person that ever existed; case in point, Bob the shiny Magikarp that knows Zap Cannon, Judgement, Hydro Cannon, and Dark Void), and my many, many, MANY shiny Pokes. But the Pokegods are a different thing entirely. Wasted about three years of my life total trying to get them. /curses at older kids who played Pokemon./

Also, _HOLY FREAKIN' CRAP, I GOT THREE HUNDRED+ REVIEWS!! THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH, I LOVE YOU!_

...Now I feel guilty for my horrible, horrible cliffy. But I don't care.

Read and enjoy!

* * *

I only managed to choke out, "Greggy... why?", before Giovanni made his entrance. He shook his head, and chided, "Uh-uh Gregory. Not yet." Harley looked terrified, darting his head around for a way out. Pikapix was still in my hands, laying there dead still. Like a doll.

"Why, Greggy? You're my friend..." I cried, refusing to believe the only person whose company I'd treasured was... with him. Gregory's eyes softened, and he shoved the gun in a holster, turning to me instead, stroking my cheek. It took all the self-control I had not to flinch.

"Because I love you, Lucy. He'll never love you as much as I do. Sweetie, I'm doing this so we can be _together_." I fidgeted, unsure of what to say, lest I be killed. Watson did the talking for me. He leapt out in front of me, his body puffed up threateningly.

"Shinx! Shinx, Shinx! Shinx!" He hissed, crackling electricity around him, arching his back up and growling. I felt a rush of gratitude and love for the brave kitten. Gregory frowned, and kicked Watson, sending him sprawling. Watson thudded against the wall, and stayed down.

"Hey!" I cried. "Leave Watson alone!" He shook his head, and mumbled, "Stay out of this." He turned back to Harley, and his face contorted. "_You." _He hissed menacingly.

"Not now, Gregory. We don't want to kill them before we can show them our achievements." Giovanni scolded. He beckoned to us. "Follow... or we will have no choice but to kill you, I'm afraid." I caught Harley's eyes, and tried to send him the message that we'd be alright, but he didn't seem to catch the message.

Pikapix was still lying there, only now he—she, it?—was purring. I had a sickening feeling in my stomach. The thing wasn't supposed to exist; and I'd helped create it. But as Pikapix lay there, I couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt.

Sure, the thing was unnatural, but it couldn't help what it was, right? Though, to be quite frank, it wouldn't help when it killed us all. But you had to feel for the sorry creature. It was only following its master's orders.

We entered the lab fully now, and I saw all six of Gregory's Pokemon encased in the tubes; they reminded me of those pictures I saw online of test-tube babies, and my mind immediately regretted the comparison. Gregory's grin widened. "Check their levels on your Pokedex." I did so, and gasped.

"Level 255? Are you _crazy? _This will make them unstable as hell! They'll just die faster!" I cried, feeling sympathy for them, once again, subject to following their master's orders. "They'll become killing machines, and that means they'll come after you, too!" I screamed, trying to make sense of whatever idea of pointless murder that had spawned this. Gregory shrugged.

"So we put them to sleep, no big deal. Euthanasia comes by the bucketful in this place." I was at a loss for words. Finally, I managed to choke out, "...They're your... Pokemon..." Gregory's eyes hardened.

"An end to the means. My Pokemon are the Pokegods, now." I shook my head. He didn't get it. There was no way I could accept that my nightmares were really alive, here, proving that the impossible was nothing to these people.

"You couldn't have made them. It was impossible; they never existed! They existed only in the dreams of the megalomaniacs, who just didn't want to work hard to train Pokemon that actually existed! This is pointless!" I shook my head.

"They didn't exist! They can't hurt me!" I cried, fumbling for my Pokeballs. "Zero!" The Arcanine howled, leaping at Gregory. He sighed, and pressed a button. Buster slid out of the tube, and righted himself on the floor.

"Buster. Hydro Cannon." The Sharpedo roared, and blitzed Zero with a massive gush of water. The tiger dog struggled to stand after that, but failed, collapsing to the floor. I was roaring mad at this point.

"Is this what you want?! A fight!?" I roared, facing him. Gregory shook his head.

"No, what I want is quite simple. If you come back to me, Lucy, I will kill only Harley; the others can go, they mean nothing to me. Lucy, with you, Giovanni, and I, we can rule the world! You'll be the queen, standing by my side! Isn't that what every girl wants?" He pleaded, and the worst part was, he was honest. He meant everything he said.

I looked at Harley. His eyes pleaded with me to find a way out of this. I had an idea, but it was kind of risky. It relied completely on timing. I nodded at him. Giovanni smirked. "Excellent." I steeled myself, and managed to choke out, "Yes... Gregory, I'll go with you."

The pleading look in Harley's eyes shattered, and changed into one of shock, horror, and dismay. I turned to him, and mouthed, "Play along." His eyes widened, and he nodded.

I turned to him, and began, "I accept. Kill him if you like—but do let the others go; too many deaths would raise questions." Gregory nodded, and now that he thought he had me, his face radiated some sort of perverse joy that was strange to see. A murderous glee combined with an expression of true love is something you only see in movies, or read about in books—unless you're me, I suppose.

He looked to Giovanni, who shrugged, and nodded. "Do it as you like." Gregory smiled, and pulled out his gun, and as he turned off the safety, the clacking noise echoed like a roar off the walls. Harley glared at me, seeming to say, "Well, any time you're going to put that plan into action, I'd really appreciate it about now!"

I waited until I was out of Gregory's line of vision, and yelled, "WATSON! THUNDER WAVE!" The Shinx struck Gregory with a yolk-colored light, freezing him in his tracks. Harley flew out of the way of the gun, and hid behind me. I had to laugh at that; his pitiful attempts weren't exactly working.

Gregory kept his back to me, but I could imagine his expression of fury. "_Bitch." _He mouthed, his anger restricting his voice to a mere hazy whisper. "_You tricked me." _I grinned.

"Yeah, I did. And now..." I clapped my hands, and screamed, "WONDER POKEMON, GUARDIANS OF THE LAKE, I SUMMON THEE!" I really hoped that'd do the trick. Sure enough...

"_We're the Wonder Pokemon! Come to save the day! Or something!" _I felt a rush of relief. Giovanni frowned.

"...Who the hell are you?" He asked, staring at the elfin superheroes. Mesprit announced, "_We just told you, moron. We're the Wonder Pokemon. Bow before us, bitches." _Uxie, being somewhat sensible, turned to us.

"_You're okay, right?" _I rolled my eyes. "No." He saluted. "_Then I'll bring help." _He and Azelf disappeared, and I glared at Giovanni. Gregory growled in annoyance, and turned the gun in my direction, pulling the trigger.

Harley screamed, but there was no point—Mesprit had summoned a pink bubble shield. The bullet exploded on contact. Gregory roared with rage, and pounded on the bubble with both fists. Nothing could get through, however; grimly, I laughed at the picture this made. His face was contorted with fury, and he was bodyslamming a pink bubble.

The others finally got the point, and released their Pokemon. I tossed my Pokeballs outside the shield, and everyone materialized, looking none too happy.

"_VOLDEMORT! Holy crap, I thought I killed you!" _Erose gasped, evidently unaware he was a Pokemon, not a wizard. Ace rolled her eyes. Giovanni frowned. Unsure of what to make of it, he ignored it, instead saying, "So, you wish to fight? Release the Pokemon!" Only Gregory's came out, so I assumed they were saving the Pokegods as a last-resort.

I racked my mind for ideas. They were too strong, they were the impossible, they—

Wait.

"GUYS!" I yelled, still encased in the pink bubble. "Make them level up! If you do, they'll be set back to zero again!" It worked in the games, so I was still a little unsure of how it'd work here, but I didn't see any other method. They nodded, and readied the Pokemon. Gregory nodded. "Kill them."

They exploded into battle; so I could give commands better, Mesprit released the bubble, but floated close by in case I was to be threatened at gunpoint again. However, there were no guns at this point; the Pokemon were doing all the fighting.

"Watson! Thunder on Buster! Erose! Use Seed Bomb! Ace, use Draco Meteor, and Zero, Extremespeed! Bleak, Rythric, combine your Flamethrowers!" I was rushing around, yelling random moves, hoping that one of the Pokemon we had would be able to do something.

The battle had begun; now we were just waiting for reinforcements.

* * *

Azelf had gone for Birch's Lab, and the Pokemon League; Uxie had gone to the Legend's Court, to plead for aid.

Azelf swooped down on the lawn, and screamed, "_IF YOU DON'T ALL MOVE YOUR ASSES TO THE LAKE OF RAGE, LUCY WILL DIE!" _This got everyone's attention; Vita even stopped mid-swill.

Szeren, who had been resting next to Dave, raised her head. A spark of fury lit in her eyes. "_It's him, isn't it?" _Azelf nodded.

Szeren said nothing, but snapped open her wings, and flew off for Johto. Azelf saluted her as she soared.

"_Let's roll." _Vita said, donning a pair of sunglasses, and taking one last swig of whiskey, before chucking the bottle into Birch's window. Brendan jumped in surprise, but you'd think with all the whiskey and co. she drank, they'd all be used to it by now. Vita poked her head through the hole, and called, "_If you don't want Lucy to die, you'd better come with us." _

As for the League, you can imagine their shock when about twenty Legends showed up at their door, and they followed without question.

Up at the Legend's court, Uxie was explaining the entire thing. Mew frowned, whisking her tail side-to-side. "_It was probably Entei. Damn, I knew I should've taken his powers when we had the chance... oh, well. At the very least, we can try to stop him." _With that said, she flicked her tail again, and ordered the Legends to prepare for an onslaught.

Back with us, however, there was a slight problem; my theory was probably correct—but impossible to achieve. The altered Pokemon were just too tough.

"Dammit!" I screamed. "Ace, Ice Beam! Erose, just... I don't know, use Avada Kedavra, maybe it'll work! Or just hit them with a potted plant!" I was at a loss. Aside from having stupidly high levels, their moves were hacked; I don't think many Sharpedos learn Hydro Cannon and Volt Tackle regularly.

Harley, to his credit, was basically plastering himself in front of me to protect me; though, really, they were trying to kill him, not me. It's the thought that counts, right?

"_Deus Ex Machina, HO!" _A voice called. I reassessed the situation. Looking up, I saw the most welcome sight I'd seen in a long, long, incredibly stressful time.

My drunken Mew and gay Rayquaza. Just so you know what my life's like at this point.

Vita decided on dramatic effect; she broke a bottle on the wall, pointed it at Kimmy, and growled, "_Let's dance, motherfucker." _Everyone rolled their eyes.

Then, quickly as it had been interrupted, the battle started back up again.

The stench of blood was in the air, along with a sickeningly sweet smell of chemicals, which combined, smelled like a cemetery that had long gone to rust. I was screaming orders like crazy; but in the chaos, they did little good.

The entire amount of Legends in the room was a sight to behold. Ho-oh was spewing flames down on the entire battlefield, Hiromi was letting Dragon Pulse after Dragon Pulse spew across the entire arena, and it looked like we might actually win.

Until Giovanni's voice rang out over the chaos. "Behold!" He thundered, pressing a glowing button. "The Pokegods!"

* * *

They came in pairs.

Two at a time, they stepped out of a door in the wall of the lab; this reminded me weirdly enough of Noah's Ark, only Giovanni wasn't god... was he?

Pikapix leapt out of my arms to join them. They all stood there, like they were newly sprung from my nightmares and unsure what to do in this strange, phantasmagorical world.

My lips formed words, but the only thing I felt like doing was screaming.

The entire battlefield had fallen silent. The Pokemon had an idea of what they were, but didn't really understand.

I did the only thing I could think of. I screamed the name of god.

"_MOMMY!"_ I roared, closing my eyes in terror.

There was silence. Then—

"_You call, I answer, kiddo." _Szeren alighted next to me, displaying a toothy grin. I almost broke down in tears of joy. She laid her head on mine, before turning to the Pokegods.

Pikablu was actually Marill; it looked horribly out of place, and I actually had to restrain my laughter.

But Mewthree was no laughing matter. It was white. Just—pure—white. It lacked any true defining shape—it looked like Mewtwo without any chest, or muscle, or eye-ridges. It was smoother than the shell of an egg, and about the same color. It had an animalistic glare in its eyes that was far different from Mew's or Mewtwo's.

Then it opened its eyes. They were massive, the size of softballs, and pure red, pupil and iris-less. I opened my mouth in shock.

The Pika-Gods were slightly less impressive. Pikasap was really a green Pikachu with a bulb on its back. And Pikablu was Pikablu. Pikaflare and Pikapix, well, the former was a Pikachu with a Charmander tail, and Pikapix was actually really goddamned cute.

Charcolt looked like a Charizard without the wings, instead given a Flareon tail and vestial, Dragonite-like wings.

Flareth was a Flareon without any firey fluff or tail. Instead, it had a scaly ridge around its neck, and a forked tail. Its eyes also lacks iris or pupil, and were a lime green.

The entire Missingno family was there; the Ghost and the Skeletons. The Ghost reminded me of my own, Shadow, but the others scared the shit out of me.

And then there was Venustoise. The freakiest of the freaky. It was a Blastoise with a heavily warted and leafy body; the plant on its back was almost too big for its body. The leaves stuck out at awkward levels, and it had to go quadruped from weight gain.

They stood there, the impossible made possible.

They were the Gods, and our mere human eyes could not take in their terrifying splendor.

"...Kill." Giovanni murmured. That one flat command started the battle over again.

"Hide behind the fat woman!" Harley roared, directing everyone's attention to me. I groaned. Great, real nice.

"I'M NOT FAT!" I turned to the group in fury. "_Am I?" _I hissed.Everyone awkwardly shuffled their feet, even the Pokegods. I put my head in my hands. I hated them so much.

"...Fuck. Just kill them all." Giovanni said. The Pokegods obeyed.

They may not have been from the Ark, but the flood of carnage begged to differ. It was like wading through a lake; their blood just would not stop flowing. Nine hundred ninety-nine hit points made for a lot of blood lost, I suppose.

In my fury, I didn't notice anything but the heat of battle, as it raged around me, parting around me like the Red Sea. "Ace! Draco Meteor! Vita! Seismic Toss, then Zap Cannon! Szeren, Blast Burn!" I was squalling out orders like a drill sergeant, and watching everything go on.

Apparently, with Watson in the room, MissingMew's deleting powers were gone. So now it fought as a Fossil Kabutops, slashing at anything that was in its path.

I noted with glee that Gregory's Pokemon were down; they had apparently been reset to level zero, and were now pitiful.

"Wigglytuff! Kill!" Harley called, and I remembered in a flash, "Make the Pokegods faint!" I cried. "They die if you do!"

Everyone immediately focused their attention on the Pokegods, instead choosing to fight them rather than Giovanni's grunts.

It would've help to know Venustoise could move rather fast for such an ungainly Pokemon. It lumbered over to me, and grunted, "_Venu. Venustoise." _I turned around in horror to see it breathing down my neck.

I froze in fear. It was staring at me, and its eyes were blank as the soul that lay behind them. I fought back a choking cry of fear. Shadows, melt into the shadows, they can't hurt me, I'm not real, they're not real, it's all fake, I'll wake up—

It's lifting me up with a Vine Whip. I try to scream, but I still can't make a sound. It grunts in amusement, and throws me onto the floor. I struggle to get back up, but a Razor Leaf slams me down, and I squeak in shock, struggling for breath.

It's found its mouse, and it will have its fun, playing its game until the quarry dies. And no matter how fragile its prey, it will be a slow death.

"Heh-help... ack!" I coughed, spitting out blood and mucus, and immediately felt nauseous; I think a few of my ribs were broken. It picked me up again, and began throwing me up-and-down, up-and-down, as my stomach rose up-and-down, up-and-down.

Harley spotted me, and his eyes widened. He left Wigglytuff in control, and turned to me, sprinting over all the bodies to get to me. "LEAVE HER ALONE!" He screamed, pumping his legs like mad to reach me.

He slammed into Venustoise, and the sheer force sent him skidding away about a foot. I must've looked pretty strange, hanging up there limply, dead still and about to die. Venustoise grunted, and rolled an eyeball in his direction.

Harley looked the picture of righteous fury; his face wasn't red, but a deathly white with rage, and his eyes practically had heat waves shimmering around them.

"_Don't." _He said, eyes blazing even hotter. I blinked, and tried to keep him in focus as my world swayed all around me. "Harley?" I whispered. He tried to free me again, but was stopped short.

"Ah ah ah." Gregory chided, appearing from seemingly nowhere. "It's the prince's job to rescue the princess." He began mumbling to himself. I was both amazed and horrified at his little spiel, and was barely aware of the gun being slipped out reverentially—almost lovingly out of the shoulder holster.

"And what do we do with the vicious green dragon? Why, we kill it of course. The prince will kill the dragon. The King of the Gods will strike down the fornicator and I will kill him for I am god, and I will strike down all of those who fornicate with my queen, and I..." He took a heavy, shuddering breath, and said in rapturous exultation, "I will do it now."

He swung the gun in Harley's direction, and hissed, "_Die." _

It all happened in a flash; I bit the vine Venustoise had entangling me, and as I slipped free, I ran. The world passed by in a blur, but for the black dot speeding towards me.

There was no bang.

There was only a _thud,_ and then a clatter.

"_LUUUUUUUCY!" _Harley roared. I closed my eyes in pleasure.

It was so warm, and it was so wet... it started in my chest... gosh, what a wonderful feeling. What a wonderful world.

Gregory was standing there, frozen to the spot in horror, the slow glacial paralyzer of heart, mind, and soul. His lips moved, and he slowly mouthed, _"No." _

What was so wrong? I wondered. I was so nice, and it was so warm... and wet. Like being in the bathtub.

I looked down at myself. Where was all this red coming from?

Harley moved in slow-motion, catching me as I sagged to the floor. I tried to raise my hands to my ears, and found I was too tired to. Couldn't everyone stop screaming? I was trying to sleep...

Gregory was over me, and his eyes were filled with tears. He shook his head. "I'm sorry," He gasped, "I love you." I nodded. My mouth found the words I wanted to say.

"I know." I whispered. His eyes welled with tears. "You don't love me back, do you?" He said softly. I shook my head.

"...Not like you love me. I'm sorry." I hugged him, and for an instant, we were little kids again. "I'm sorry." He whispered. "I love you." I nodded, and repeated, "I know."

Harley yanks me away, and forces my face upward to look at him. "You can't fuckin' leave me! You're all I have!" He pleads, cursing in vain, attempting to anger my way back into existence. I lean my head on his chest.

"...I love you. More than I could've ever told you." I whisper, my voice growing fainter and fainter. His eyes are welled with tears, and as they fall, I catch my reflection in them.

God, I look so old, and so goddamn fragile. Death's a bitch.

He holds me tight. "Forgive me. I didn't love you enough." I shook my head.

"No. There's nothing to forgive." He bows his head.

"Just say you love me." I nod.

"...I love you." And somehow, it's enough. His eyes meet mine, and he brings me close. It's even warmer now, but there's cold lurking there too.

The last sensation I have is his lips on mine, his blood mingling with mine. It all fades away, softly pulling me away into the warm womb of Death.

My last thought was,

"_If I came here when I died on earth, now that I'm dead here..._

_Where do I go now?"_


	51. Zombie Lucy! Burn the dead and tabloids!

(Harley goes crazy! Yay! Okay, for starters; this isn't the end. To tie up loose ends and have some fun, I am writing a one or two chapter epilogue. So Watson's little 'problem' will be explained next chapter; I couldn't squeeze it in here.

I may have defied conventional physics and basic medical procedures writing this chapter, but it's a frickin' fanfiction, and I take artistic license. I had to give her a reason for this, yanno.

So! Yeah, well, I hope you liked this fic. I've only got a few chapters left to go, and, well... I'm going to miss writing it. But hey, it was fun. And I've already got more ideas, so fear not!

For the record, NO, I don't know how it got on fire. Again, WORK WITH ME. /swears/

One thing; did ANYONE, ANYONE, notice this? I based the chapter titles off of the Pokemon Japanese episode titles! All the exclamation points and stuff. Go look the titles up on Serebii, you'll get it.

I don't own anything but Lucy, Gregory, and one other OC I'm not revealing yet.

Anyways, excuse the long author's note, but one final thing; I have made a Fakemon. His Pokedex data will be at the end, for all those interested. Yeah, he's way cool.)

* * *

Everything had stopped.

It was quiet. So fucking quiet.

Harley lay over the still body. He brushed a hand over the soft and sticky black hair, until he noted with a cold detachment that the stickiness was blood.

Everyone was silent, quieter than a tomb. Ha... tomb. But it wasn't really that funny, was it?

_Lucy would've laughed._

Harley turned to Gregory in a complete rage. His voice was calm, measured, the executioner's soothing voice assuring you of your safety—just before bringing the axe down on your willing and pliable head.

"You killed her." It was a statement, not a question. Gregory nodded, eyes focused on the body. Harley knelt down, and brushed the hair off her face, quietly humming a song.

And then his psyche shattered. He dove at Gregory, screaming in the insane murderous rage that only those who kill righteously can ever muster, screaming and screaming, exorcising his shattered soul out of his body, and he grabbed the gun. Someone screamed, maybe it was even a Pokemon, it didn't quite matter, it was overrode by Harley's screams anyway.

"YOU KILLED HER!" Harley yowled again, and now there were tears on his face, covering his cheeks in a shimmering wetness that reminded all those who looked on so much of blood, and he was about to pull the trigger, his hand was on it, and—

Giovanni beat him to it. The Team Rocket leader had years of experience in quick, clean kills. Gregory didn't even register his death until it was too late. He looked at Lucy, and smiled. He died smiling, which was more than Harley would have given him.

Harley still had so much rage in him. He attacked the body, mauling it wilding, not really quite all there anymore, just going through the motions.

Life's a bitch, huh?

He began kicking Gregory's head in, feeling the bits of skull detach themselves from the main bit, and that weird gelatinous thing that was probably a brain, well, he highly doubted that was still intact.

_What would Lucy think?_

And he stopped. He rose to his feet silently, and kicked the corpse of Gregory Wells in once last act of disgust and hatred, and went to go stand over the body of his dead girlfriend.

Even Giovanni was silent, waiting to see how he could work this to his advantage; though some would say he didn't care anymore, seeing as the Lucy girl was dead, one way or another.

"Cry for her." He whispered. Robert lifted his head up. "...What?" He whispered, as if talking in a dream; slow and quiet. Harley turned to the entire group, and screamed,

"CRY, GODDAMNIT!" His shoulders began to shake, and he whispered softly, "If everyone... cr-cried... then she'd be brought back to life, right?" He hid his face in the crook of his shoulder, and sobbed quietly.

His tears slid down slowly, dripping down like a light rain, getting on his clothes, some before splashing onto Lucy's body, and darkening her shirt with little circular splotches.

It took only a moment. Szeren began crying first, great fat tears that rolled down her cheeks with great effort, then Hiromi. He roared his agonies, slamming his tail on the ground in a great fury.

The Wonder Pokemon were serious, quietly floating above the battlefield, and crying small, almost minute tears. They glimmered like miniature diamonds as they fell.

Rythric laid a paw on his master. "_She's not coming back." _He stated quietly. With not another word, he laid his head down next to hers.

Zero was howling, roaring, his tail ablaze in a crackling fire. His ruff was something out of a description of a hellhound. This was how Arcanines mourned their fallen; displaying their power, lighting the way to the next world for those who needed the light so badly.

Bleak was disconsolate, simply staring into space and crying softly. He wouldn't have stopped for anything.

Watson glowed a soft white, and began crying, saying, "Shinx, shinx..." without much heart in it.

Vita was sniveling, tail rubbing furiously at her eyes. Brendan sat down in the midst of the carnage and said nothing. Robert and May were hugging each other, bawling their eyes out.

Harley looked down at Lucy again.

She seemed so small, so shriveled up. She deserved so much better.

In a perfect world.

* * *

-Lucy's POV-

I guess I'm dead.

You know what's funny? I always was expecting something all grand and mystical. Like a motherfuckin' parade of corpses, all chanting my name. THAT would be cool.

But I have nothing here. It's just black. And I wouldn't mind under most circumstances; it's nice and warm here, and the walls feel soft when I touch them. At least, I think they're walls. They've got to be.

But I was expecting anything from a skeletal deity to a perky little goth girl, or some demon riding a boat oar. Or maybe Satan.

That would be okay. I've always wanted to play dice with the devil.

I walk around for a bit, just going around in circles. It's boring, really. So I don't get to go somewhere cool anymore, like maybe into, I don't know, Hogwarts. I could kill Harry.

But no, I get this weird Purgatory. Thing. I don't even know what to call it...

"_Well, most of us here, we call it There." _I turn on the spot, eyes wide. This is the first voice I've heard in a while. I size up the speaker.

It, he, she, I don't know, is... different. It's kind of hard to explain.

Try combining an Umbreon's foxlike body structure with seashell-shaped ears, add a flat, thin tail, like an anorexic beaver's or something, with the wickedly sharp and furry claws and paws of an Absol. Take a pair of small, curving tendrils placed at about this thing's temples, and you have our little friend here.

"...I didn't know you were a Pokemon." I managed to blurt out. The thing raised a tendril, and snickered.

"_Simple; not many see me before they die. Those who do call me Madness. But I prefer the term 'sanity challenged.' After all, one can't be too politically correct, as you never know who you're dealing with. Everyone dies, after all." _The thing's voice has a masculine, slightly sardonic air, and has a vague British accent.

"So, did I really die?" I ask. The thing shrugs. Waving its tendrils frantically, it begins to whine, "_Oh sure, no one asks my REAL NAME, it's always, 'boo-hoo, I'm dead, waah wah wah! Ever think I might like to be asked!?" _I wince.

"Sorry. Look, okay. My name's Lucy. What's yours?" He sniffed, and announced, "_I am Sucorgan, and I am here to tell you things." _I sat up. He cracked his tail like a whip, and began to explain.

"_Okay. So, you know how you died on Earth, and came to the Pokemon world? Yeah, there was a reason for that. See, you died way before you were even born." _Now he'd lost me. I blinked.

"What?" He sighed, and clicked his claws before replying, "_I should back up. You see, while you were in the womb, your mother took a rather large overdose of cocaine. And, well, it fucked you up pretty badly; instead of your mom feeling the effects of the overdose, _you _did. And you died as a result." _I was now even more confused.

"But I survived for almost seventeen years. What do you mean, I died!?" I yelped, unable to contain the shock and slight horror in my tone, though my startled eyes might've betrayed my emotions anyway. He nodded.

"_You died, but since you were still connected to your mom, she kind of was your... life support, you know? She held you trapped in there, and force-healed you. You... okay, well, you know you faint and get dizzy, right? And you see things?" _I nodded. He smiled grimly.

"_Well, that's because your soul literally detaches from your body. Weird, right?" _I managed to choke out a, "Hell yeah," before he continued.

"_So. You died in the human world a second time, and this time, there was no womb to sustain you, so your soul literally fled your body. But instead of passing on, well, there was a slight complication; you'd already died, so it would've been weird to send you to heaven. By cheating death before you were born, you'd assured yourself a spot in Limbo for a long, long time, kid." _I groaned.

"So am I stuck here?" He grunted in annoyance. "_Hey, did I SAY I'd finished!? No! So, anyways, yeah, we kind of checked you out. And we found out you had an obsession with Pokemon. And well, the Heavenly Council overviewed your case. Most of the Pokemon, and quite a few Underworld deities supported sending you to the Pokemon World. Said you might be of use, and that it wasn't your own fault you'd cheated death the first time, you know?" _He took a breath, and grinned, seeing my stunned expression.

"But it doesn't really exist in my world! Pokemon's a game!" I choked out. Sucorgan nodded. "_Yeah, well, ever hear of the String Theory? Basically, it's the belief that there are millions upon billions of worlds residing side-by-side, unable to see or contact each other—under most circumstances. Pokemon is real, just not on Earth. In the five thousand billion other worlds, well, it's another story entirely. And don't get me started on all those weird worlds. The point is, everything is real. Nothing is ever impossible in _every _world. Gotta find the right one." _I stared at him incredulously.

Oh my god, thanks a lot, Death. Just prove everything I know is a lie, why not? It's not like anyone _cares _about me, Lucida Saxon, The-Girl-Who-Will-Not-Die.

...Grimly, I had to laugh, thinking of Erose. Sucorgan coughed, signaling he was going to continue.

"_Right. So anyway, we decided to send you there. We were going to rebirth you, but wiser heads prevailed, since you'd do no good to the Legends' well-being if you were a squalling brat. So you could say this entire thing was destiny, but between you and me, you're just fucking WEIRD." _I groaned.

"Oh, thanks. So..." My unspoken hope hung in the air. "Can I go back?" Sucorgan's face broke into a grin.

"_You've cheated death before. What would make this time any different?" _My heart soared, but I had to ask, "Why?" Sucorgan told me, "_Look. Okay, you've already died. So technically, you're an immortal spirit. You could inhabit any body you like. You could go anywhere... think of yourself as a world-traveling vampire." _My throat got all constricted, and I could only squeak in happiness.

Sucorgan's eyes softened, and he said, pulling himself up importantly, "_Yeah, well, try not to get shot this time. Anyways, will I see you again?" _I grinned, and held out my hand. He clasped his paw in it, shaking my hand.

"Next time I feel like dying." He grinned, and pushed me into the black. I felt myself absorbed into it, and it suddenly stopped being warm, and it got all cold and wet...

And...

And...

* * *

"Harley, you stupid fuck, quit crying on me. I've already lost hope for my shirt, but you don't have to ruin yours, too." I complained, struggling to stand.

The air seemed to escape the room instantaneously.

For a second, I thought Harley would implode. I really did. His bloodshot eyes got to be bigger than dinner plates, and his mouth hung open, like a fish gasping for air. "Holy..." I turned to Giovanni, and grinned.

"Boo." He leveled a gun on me, and I grinned.

"Do you really think that'll work?" He pulled the trigger, and—

Oh come on. Did you _really _think I'd die again?

He stared in silence at the gun, completely empty of bullets. "Awkward..." I managed to joke, inching away as fast as possible.

No one really knew what to say. I mean, could this be any weirder?!

...Not an invitation to make it so, by the way.

"Hey! YOU! YOUR MA'S A HOOER!" It was Crash, Faris, and Carla-Faye, the three Musketeers, all on top of Carla's Swellow.

As Giovanni stared at his prodigal son, I cried, "Erose, Sleep Powder!" Erose pointed his wand, and cried, "_OBLIVIATE!" _We all sighed, and he grunted in annoyance. "_Fine. Fuckers." _

Within moments, Giovanni was asleep. I shrugged, and surveyed the scene. Except for the three that had just arrived, everyone was staring at me like I'd just come back from the dead, which was, well, perfectly understandable; I just did.

"...Uh... I am the second coming of Jesus?" I offered, really unsure of what to say.

So it was a good thing my air was cut off. "_Lucy."_ I'd never heard my name said like that, by anyone, like, ever. Like they were describing god, or something better than god. Like a good chocolate bar. Yeah. I grinned, hugging back.

"Hey, Harley. How's life?" He grinned. "I should ask you the same thing, you bitch. Just _had _to play the hero, didn't you?" I shoved him playfully.

"Well, no one thought you could do it, so they picked me. Besides, I'm way sexier. Heroes have to be sexy." He rolled his eyes, and did not relinquish his grip on me.

"I'm suggesting a leash, from now on." Robert said, getting over his shock first. I rolled my eyes.

"For me or him?"

* * *

After that, everyone began getting over their shock. Watson reached me first. "Shinx! Shiiinx! SHINX!" He yowled, happily tacking me, nuzzling his way into my t-shirt, head popping out seconds after.

Szeren was still crying, but she held me to her, murmuring something in a gentle growl. Rythric danced around my feet, and he howled happily. Zero joined him, and soon, the sound reverberated off the walls.

"_Let's get drunk to celebrate!" _I rolled my eyes. Vita.

"_Hey, we helped! 'Cause we're the—" _"WE KNOW! WOULD YOU SHUT THE FUCK UP!?" I screamed. "_Wonder Pokemon! Come to save the day! Or something!" _They continued, ignoring me.

"I cheated death," I grumbled, "but I get no respect. Fucking. Typical." Everyone was hugging me, and I was being passed around like I was in a mosh pit of sorts.

The Pokegods were dead. I wandered the corpses, bowing my head in regret. "_It could've ended differently," _I thought bitterly, "_We could've saved them." _Though, in a world as cruel as this one, maybe they were better off dead.

It took me awhile, but I found him. He was almost unrecognizable. I looked up to see Harley standing over me. "Giovanni. Though, to be fair, I did rip open his head." I raised an eyebrow.

"You of all people. Well..." I shrugged. Kneeling down, I stared at the corpse of my friend. My murderer, true, but I had loved him, once. "_It could've ended differently." _I whispered. "_I _could've saved him." Harley sighed. He took off his hat, and placed it gently on my head, kneeling down. He hugged me, and said,

"He chose his path. It's too late. And maybe now he'll have peace." I sighed, and stared at his corpse for a second.

"Well, we can send him off in style, you know." Harley caught my eye, and said casually, "Um, dearest, we're under water." I shrugged.

"Big freakin' deal. It'll collapse in on itself anyways." Everyone stared at us. "...What are you planning?" Robert groaned, already sure we were up to no good. I grinned.

"FLAMETHROWER! FLAMETHROWERS FOR A VIKING FUNERAL!" I screamed. Every Pokemon that knew a Fire-type move used it, setting the place alight. Everyone glared at me. I shrugged.

"I suggest we haul ass."

* * *

Using our Water-types, we rushed out through the broken window, escaping just as everything began to break and crack. Swimming away crazily, I turned back and saluted Gregory one last time, just before the Lab's fires reached the water, and began to dissipate. The smoke billowing out made it tough to navigate, but we just paddled upwards.

Coughing, soaking, and shaking, we emerged from the Lake of Rage.

"...Well. That could've gone better." Silver commented wryly, gazing down at the dingy water. I nodded.

Did I think Giovanni was dead? Psh, hell no. I mean, come on. The guy was freakin' invincible!

...But I didn't think he'd bother me for a long, long time. Which was all good with me, as far as I was concerned.

"...This might seem horribly crazy, but... We can still make it to the Contest in Blackthorn if we hurry up." May remarked, checking the schedule by our bags.

We all stared incredulously at her. She shrugged.

"Well?" We all grinned. Turning to the others, we said, "Feel like a party first?"

The night was young. And alcohol was introduced. Well, yeah. Vita.

To spare you the horror and drama, let's just leave it at the party involved a _very _drunk me, and an even more drunk Harley. And a topless bathing episode. Caught on CAMERA.

Saving myself further humiliation, let's just say we arrived in Blackthorn hungover, but with a few cups of coffee, ready to compete.

I looked up at the Contest Hall in amazement. "I can't believe this would ever be normal. No more evil organizations, no more crazed megalomaniacs, no more Pokegods, just... us." I said softly, gazing at everyone.

Harley grinned, and took my hand.

"Hey, well, who cares? We don't have anything to worry about, we should enjoy it, I mean—aw, crap." I looked in the line of his horrified gaze.

"_TEENAGE COORDINATING QUEEN PREGNANT AT SIXTEEN! DETAILS ON PAGE FIVE!" _

Everyone was silent.

"...Well, so much for that." Soledad said sarcastically.

We all looked at each other. Our eyes met, and we knew—

Things had changed. They have a habit of doing that, you know.

But things between us hadn't. I was still alive, everyone had come out of this mostly sane, and most of all—

We were together. Cheesy, but we had supported each other, and now—

We just laughed. A loud, roaring laughter, all of us, wheezing until it stung our throats, and kids began to stare at us with wide, terrified eyes.

Just another day in the life of Lucida Saxon, the girl who cheated death, just your average tabloid-stalked Coordinator. For the moment.

I might not have had the best past, but I was certainly looking forward to the future.

* * *

(Okay! Here you are, Pokedex data on Sucorgan! Sucorgan: The Afterlife Pokemon. Type: Dark/Psychic. Data: Most people alive who have seen Sucorgan go mad, usually by Sucorgan's paw. He is a god that ensures that people pass on to the next life.

Only a few select few know of his existence; a requirement of seeing him is death, and if you come back from that, well, you're not exactly usually sane.

Quick Fact: His name is a conglomeration of a few letters from 'Shinigami', the Japanese Death God, and 'Orcus', the Latin word for death. /I think./)


	52. The End

(This is just a short, happy little epilogue, explaining some things, and... it's a musical! Sort of... well, anyways. Severe fluff and sap warning.

...My god. It's... over. I finished. I... don't know what to say, except, god, I am going to miss this fic. Writing it has become a part of my life for about eight months, and, well, whoa.

But fear not! I have more fics on the way, darlings!

And you never know... some of my characters may show up in another fic.

Anyways, I don't own anything. Anyone who can guess all the songs that I used will get something special, as soon as I figure out what that is. And anyone recognizes Vita marrying them from another fic gets two cookies.)

* * *

It had been nine months since I, Lucy Saxon and my Merry Band of Morons had conquered the Pokegods and Team Rocket.

A lot had happened in nine months; namely, we finally found out what was up with Watson.

See, for starters, what had happened is he had been born with no electric powers whatsoever. So in order to use his attacks, he drew electricity from the nearest sources, like Pokeballs, Translators, and previously, MissingMew.

We had yet to find a way around that, but he seemed perfectly content to stay with me, and we could usually get one of the Pokemon to translate what he wanted to say.

Yes, we're getting along quite nicely, I guess.

However, the Grand Festival draws near. Which spelled trouble, mostly because everyone else was bracing themselves for another giant fight between me and Harley.

Would it have happened? Uh, yeah, probably.

But it went something like this; okay, for starters, everyone made it into the Double Battles. Soledad got taken down first, ironically, in a battle with Drew.

Robert beat May, much to his displeasure. I was using Watson, who had by this point evolved into a Luxio, against Milotic, so it went well; Watson stole the electricity from the spotlights, and fired off a very powerful Thunder.

Coordinator after Coordinator was eliminated, and it got to the point where it was Drew, Harley, a girl named Riley, and me.

I beat Riley with Rythric, who had indeed evolved soon after the incident at the Lake, in a battle against her Espeon.

Drew and Harley faced off, Banette against Masquerain. Masquerain lost to a few Thunder/Shadow Ball combos, and soon...

Yeah, you guessed it. It was me and Harley again. By this point in time, the tabloids had had to acquiesce that I was indeed, not pregnant, but they now fueled the fire with basically anything I did. So I knew that most people knew that we had a huge fight about this a year ago; probably why everyone was waiting with bated breath.

He sent out Octillery. I sent out Watson, who arched his back, and flashed white.

"Thunder!" I called, watching the spotlights flicker, and then Watson send out a giant spark of electricity. "Octillery! Octazooka!" Harley said.

He obscured Watson's vision, and as Watson tried to rub it off, he got a Fire Blast in. I sighed. "What to do, what to do..." I got an idea. "Absorb every bit of energy you can, and use Thunder Wave!" This would keep Octillery in place while I dealt with the growing problem of what exactly to do.

Watson charged up, crying, "Lu! Luxi! Luxio!" Which I took to mean, "_You've got no fucking clue what you're doing, am I right?" _I grumbled in annoyance.

Octillery was frozen on the spot to the ground, and I chuckled. "Watson, Thunder Fang!" As he got close, I heard Harley order a Fire Blast. I shook my head, and assumed it wouldn't work, but—

Watson got his bite in, but it was too close; Octillery struck him with the Fire Blast, sending Watson skidding. He lay incredibly still, and I feared the worst.

"Lux... Lux..." He struggled to stand, and began glowing white.

"And we're seeing Saxon's Luxio preparing to evolve! How will both trainers handle this?!" The announcer called, obviously loving the drama.

"LUXRAY!" Watson cried, rising to his feet as a full-grown electric lion. I grinned. "Roar!" He opened his mouth, and let out an earth-shattering roar, causing even me to cover my ears.

Octillery fired off another Fire Blast, but Watson dodged it easily. My heart soared for love of the Luxray.

"Watson!" I cried. "Use Thunder Fang again!" He leapt at Octillery, and Harley snapped his fingers. I should've yelled to back away, but I was still reeling from the shock of Watson's sudden evolution.

Octillery wrapped Watson in his suction cups, and while the Thunder Fang struck, Octillery could slam his rock-hard head into Watson.

Our points were about even; it all mattered on our next move; and with five minutes on the clock, well, it was all down to the wire.

"DISCHARGE!" I screamed. "FIRE BLAST!" Harley yelled.

The entire field managed to go up in smoke. To this day, I don't know how that happens, I really don't.

But I do know that when I looked again, there was both Watson and Octillery, managing to stand. Both of us were amazed. I looked up at the clock. "0:00" It was all quiet for a minute. The judges were silent, until the announcer cried,

"And the match goes to Harley Davidson!"

I practically died. His eyes widened, and I thought he was going to start freaking out on stage.

He silently accepted the cup, and when everyone surrounded him, he beckoned to me. Both Watson and I ran up, and he grabbed me, swinging me up into his arms.

The cameras flashed, and I knew this would be front-page news tomorrow, but I didn't care in the slightest; I was thrilled out of my mind, even if I had lost. I didn't care; besides, I was proud of him.

That night was a blur of party; I do remember a lot of kissing and hugging, and a lot of alcohol and barbecue. Not bad at all, not bad.

Life had returned to normal, mostly. I mean, well, we had more traveling to do. After the Grand Festival was over, we packed our bags and headed for Sinnoh, meeting up with Dawn and Zoey. Silver stayed behind to make sure Team Rocket wouldn't try anything; besides, he hadn't seen Gold in eons.

Life went on. We got into some tough scrapes here and there, but compared to the Pokegods, nothing bothered me any more.

I hadn't had my fill of trouble, but for awhile... it was nice to take a break.

* * *

I laughed, and closed my book, going for the fifteenth time to look at myself in the mirror.

My twenty-fifth birthday was yesterday, and as one of the Top Coordinators in any region, I had become pretty much an icon for insecure ten-year-olds who needed something to believe in. Not like I minded much, however.

I'd changed quite a bit from the kid who'd showed up in this world after cheating death. For one thing, I'd filled out; not as awkward anymore, and my hair had gotten longer and more colorful, since I had chosen to dye one half dark purple, the other half the good old standby of black-and-rainbow.

I think the showmanship and eccentricity of the Contests were getting to me.

Watson snoozed in the window, sunning himself. I rubbed his head affectionately, and went to my closet to get out of my pajamas. I heard the thump of a rock against my window, and I sighed.

I had moved to Blackthorn, just so I could honestly say I was from there, and true to form, everyone had come around to drive me crazy.

"Lucy!" Harley called, standing under my window. "Will you marry me now!?" I felt like screaming.

Yeah, this had been going on for about a year. He got it in his head that we needed to be married, and I had told him no. It's not that I didn't love him; it was that I was too lazy to plan a wedding, really.

I stuck my head out the window. "No, Harley! Later!" He pouted. "You promised yesterday you would!" I sighed, and put my head in my hands.

"I was drunk, okay? It was my birthday, the rum was good, and I had too much! I don't want to get married!" He sighed.

"...I didn't want to do this." His voice rose, and he cried, "_You're beautiful... yeah, you're beautiful... I SAW YOUR FACE, IN A CROWDED PLACE, AND I KNOW IT TO BE TRUE..." _I groaned. Great, another fucking musical. "_I'LL NEVER BE WITH YOU..." _

"_Another time, another place, another chance, another day!" _I cried, trying to keep it as short as possible. "_What happened to Miss Independent!?" _

This evidently drove him insane, because he screamed, "We've been dating for NINE YEARS! WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN, YOU DON'T WANT TO GET MARRIED!" Now, the two of us arguing from window to the ground was kind of freaking out the other residents of Blackthorn, but fuck it man, I was not in the mood for this.

"EXACTLY WHAT I JUST SAID, FUCKWIT!" I cried, pushing my hands through my hair in frustration. He grumbled, and made an annoyed noise, before yelling, "DON'T THINK THIS IS OVER!" I watched him go, and went back to my closet.

"I—" The door flung open, practically flying off its hinges, "swear—" Now the clothes were yanked out, as I ripped my shirt off. "-_-I'll" _Watson sighed, cracking one eye open to watch.

"KILL HIM!" I finished, getting dressed. Rythric chuckled, and grumbled, "_Remind me again why you won't say yes?" _I turned to him.

"...Because." I finished, grabbing my book, and going out on the porch to read. It was there I screamed in frustration.

A giant post-it note was attached to my page, reading, "_MARRY ME, GODDAMNIT!" _I chucked the book as far away as it would go, screaming obscenities at him, mostly involving very hopefully untrue things about his ancestors.

"..._It's kinda like this; marry him and shut him up. You do love him, don't you?" _Ace mused, gnawing at her nails disinterestedly. I glared at her, and muttered childishly, "Well, I don't want to."

Erose was on the front lawn, trying to breathe fire. Blackthorn had gotten to him, and now he believed he was a dragon. "_ROOOOAAAAAR! I COME FOR YOUR WIMMINZ!" _He screamed, babbling on about his 'treasure of bloooood...' I filed my nails disinterestedly, having gotten completely used to it by now.

"...He really wants to marry you, you know." I looked up. "May, for Christ's sake!" I said, wanting to tear my hair out in frustration. She shrugged, and said, "I'm just saying. He's over at his apartment, crying his eyes out and eating ice cream." I was now interested.

"What flavor?" May sighed. "I think it was chocolate cherry, but I don't know—oh for god's sake!" She cried, watching my retreating form. She glared at Erose, who was now trying to fly.

"If you're going to kill yourself, wait until she gets back, I'm not dealing with this." She announced, picking my book up and starting from where I had left off.

I stormed up his steps, and kicked open the door. He was slumped over the table, looking miserable. He spied me, and stood up, chest puffed out.

"Look, Lucy, I really just want to say that goddamnit, I love you, and I want to marry you, and you're kind of being a pain in my ass with this—"

"Harley, I want—"

"No, you listen to me! I have the damn thing planned, so get off your lazy ass, and—"

"Harley—"

"DAMMIT, JANET!"

"JUST WHO THE HELL IS JANET!?" I screamed, immediately going berserk.

"I will marry you if I have to kill myself to do it!"

"That doesn't make any sense! Harley, look, I just want—"

"To get married!?" He says hopefully, eyes lighting up. I grunted.

"No. I want the chocolate cherry ice cream." I took the carton and the spoon, eating nonchalantly, staring at his bemused and slightly horrified expression. I popped a bite in my mouth, and gestured with my spoon.

"Well... maybe. I do love you, but... weddings are so _cliché." _He groaned.

"But... I love you..." The lights dimmed, and I felt like screaming. We'd gotten over this, I thought! WE WENT TO THERAPY!

"First time... that I saw your eyes... girl, you looked right through me... mh-hm..." I groaned.

I knew my passion for Fergie would come back to bite me in the ass someday.

"You got me trippin'! Stumblin'! Sinkin'! Crumblin'! Clumsy 'cause I'm fallin' in looove... in love with yooouu..." I groaned, and put my head in my hands.

He saw this wasn't working, and switched to System of a Down. "Why have you forsaken me... in your eyes, forsaken me? In your thoughts, forsaken me? In your heart, for-saaaken me?"

Time to fire back with a song of my own.

"You said you loved me, and that's a fact! But then you left me, standing by the tracks!" He stared at me in annoyance, waiting for another sappy song.

"Didn't stand by me! No, not at all! SO ALONE I KEEP THE WOLVES AT BAY..." Harley screamed, "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!? I HAVEN'T CHEATED ON YOU ONCE!"

I fired back, "Oooh, yeah, then explain this _JANET_!" He screamed in frustration, "IT'S A FREAKIN' SONG!"

"IT'S TOO SHORT TO BE A SONG!" I cried. He yelled, "I DON'T REMEMBER ALL THE WORDS, OKAY?!" May was still there, and she finally interrupted.

"FOR MEW'S SAKE! QUIT SINGING!" I had to say, "Fine. Then everyone stop speaking in Caps Lock."

Everyone quieted. I turned to Harley. "Okay... Harley..." He stood straight, and saluted.

I sighed.

"I will marry you."

There was a minute's silence. Then both Harley and May ran out the door, screaming at the top of their lungs, "WEDDINGS!" I sighed, and went back to my ice cream.

I let myself back into my apartment that night, expecting maybe Watson or Erose to greet me, but no.

"SURPRISE!"

"HOLY SHIT! DON'T KILL ME!" I cried, jumping up. Brendan inched over to the switch, and flicked on the lights.

"...Right. Anyways, yeah... hi." I groaned.

"Did you let them in!?" I yelled at Erose, who was standing there with an innocent look on his face. I turned back to the entire group, observed the scene, and calmly said, "I fucking hate life."

As I went upstairs, Harley called, "We have cake!" I raised an eyebrow, and turned down to head back.

"...Well..."

* * *

Apparently, he'd already planned the entire thing about seven months ago, which I found slightly unnerving, but I figured it saved me the trouble.

The one problem was finding someone to marry us. I was staunchly against a priest, and well, we were screwed.

"_I'll do it." _Vita offered, swigging a bottle of champagne. I glared at her.

"You can't be serious." She shrugged.

"_You got a better idea? No, didn't think so, kid. Are we in, or not?" _I growled, but I had to figure that we didn't have any better ideas. Now, all we needed was a decent guest list.

"You can't tell me we're actually inviting your mom." I sighed, glaring at Harley. He shrugged.

"I kinda have to. Believe me; I'm as thrilled as you are." I sighed, and turned on my iPod, patiently waiting for the apocalypse to end.

A week passed, and in no particular order, we managed to:

Burn a toaster (Well, I don't know how it happened. Blamed Harley.)

Exhaust Blackthorn's entire supply of alcohol. (Which was kind of Vita's fault.)

Get drunk in sheer misery. (Well, that was really only me.)

Attempt suicide five times. (This was after Sarah arrived.)

Finally learn how to breathe fire. (Erose just swallowed a Flamethrower TM.)

And, to cap it all off, I spent many sleepless nights, sleeping only to wake up screaming about 'housewifery.' (Self-explanatory.)

Uh huh.

The big day came, and I was almost having a nervous breakdown. "Please. Kill me." I begged Robert, who simply smiled, shook his head, and turned the page of his book.

"...PLEASE!" I cried, slumping to the floor.

Well, the dress was actually pretty, I had to admit. A mellow sort of silvery-blue, without any frills or whatever. I readjusted my shoes, and heard the funeral march—I'm sorry, I meant wedding procession.

If you believe that, I have a bridge in Eterna City to sell you.

I walked up to the doors, and walked down the aisle. I groaned in annoyance as I saw camera flashes.

I didn't really want this moment documented, you know?

Vita floated above the altar, and took a swig of whiskey before continuing. "_Dearly beloved, we gather to say our goodbyes..." _I glared at her, but she continued. "_Here she lies, no one knew her worth! The late, great, daughter of... Mother Earth! On these nights when we celebrate the birth..." _I sighed, but Harley was laughing.

"_In that little town of Bethlehem, we raise our glass... you bet your ass... to... LA VIE BOHEME!" _Vita chorused, whisking her tail from side-to-side. She caught my stares, and hurriedly coughed,

"_Uh, right. So, do you, Lucida Saxon, take Harley Davidson—" _"Oh screw it, yes!" I cried, eager to get it over with before one more person broke out into song.

"I do, too!" Harley cried, not wanting to be forgotten. Vita nodded, and threw the bottle down. I slammed my foot down, and cried, "OW! FUCK!"

The wedding reception was delayed as they pulled the glass out of my foot. Typical.

Well, after the little crisis, we actually had fun.

I was attempting to dance, however, so I actually wasn't having fun; everyone else was, though.

"Who picked this song?" I grumbled in annoyance. Harley raised an eyebrow. "...Would you kill me if I said you did?" I huffed in anger, grabbed him by the wrist, and stormed out of there, heading outside.

The sun had started to set, and it made a pretty picture. Harley sat down next to me, and he smiled. "I think everyone's really just surprised I'm marrying a girl." He joked, pulling me close to him. I shrugged, and laughed.

"...You're beautiful." I had to add, grinning, "Any boy would want you." He lay down in the grass, and I followed suit.

"Remember what you said about the sky being the lid to something great?" He murmured, looking me in the eyes. I nodded, and came a bit closer. He closed the gap between us for an instant, and whispered, "Well, I think I found something better."

I held him close, and didn't pull away until the stars were out. I rolled back, and looked up, smiling.

I had indeed found out what was behind that lid. The rest of the worlds, and I guess I was just lucky to end up in this one.

I looked at Harley, sleeping in the grass while the party raged away outside. I shrugged. "Yeah, pretty lucky." I settled down next to him, and grinned.

"...Yeah. Life's not too damn bad."

As we stayed out there, in the dark of night, I knew there was no lid; I was where I was supposed to be all along.

Right here in his arms.


End file.
